Final goodbye for early web icon (Netscape)

[edesignuk]

A web browser that gave many people their first experience of the web is set to disappear.

Netscape Navigator, now owned by AOL, will no longer be supported after 1 March 2008, the company has said.

In the mid-1990s, as the commercial web began to take off, the browser was used by more than 90% of people online. BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7270583.stm).

I've been a Firefox man for many years, but before that back in the days when I was on Windows and had the choice between IE5 (I think) and Netscape, I was using Netscape 4.* and loved it.

RIP.

[Cromulent]

I remember using that browser when it was still called Mosiac back in '92 or '93.

End of an era. Ah well, technology moves onwards.

[arkitect]

I can still remember how excited we were watching that meteor shower. :D:D

Ah… memories… :(

[cheeseadiddle]

I remember using that browser when it was still called Mosiac back in '92 or '93.

End of an era. Ah well, technology moves onwards.

Me too. Internet in a Box.

[JSchwage]

Ahh the memories. You will be missed Netscape. I remember when I had to use Netscape on Windows 95 because Internet Explorer wouldn't load any pages for some reason. :p

[iGav]

It all started going wrong for Netscape when they released Netscape 6. :(

I remember using that browser when it was still called Mosiac back in '92 or '93.

Me too. :D Back in the days when all web sites looked like this... :D

[Cromulent]

Me too. :D Back in the days when all web sites looked like this... :D

I still happen across some real retro websites in the odd web search. They bring back memories :). For some odd reason they all had flashing text and were red on green or something else hideous.

[SpaceMagic]

The BBC article says that for many it was their first webbrowser...

It certainly was for me.

I remember going to the first internet cafe in Cardiff when I was very young. The internet was a very very new thing then... first half of the ninties. I can always remember doing File->Open in Netscape and writing the address there. Altavista I think. Was weird.

Although I haven't used Netscape since 4.7.x, it will be missed.

EDIT: Found 1996 Altavista... it looked great in those days.... http://web.archive.org/web/19961022174810/http://www.altavista.com/

[joepunk]

I'll miss that meteor shower. I could watch that for many minutes while a page loaded on my iMac.

[Antares]

*Netscape Gold* Forever!

I shall miss thee....

I fondly remember the magical experience of using Netscape, for the first time, in 1996.

[PlaceofDis]

of course i remember that icon. it has its place in history though. and forever will live on as clevin's 'tar, until he changes it :p

[whooleytoo]

First NCSA Mosaic, now Netscape. Who'll be next.. :o :p

Then again, Netscape was the only software I ever used which crashed/froze every system I used it on. MacOS, NT, and AIX*. Actually quite glad to see the back of it.

(* ok, strictly speaking it didn't freeze the system. I could have telneted in from another machine and killed the Netscape process, but still, Netscape was a pig).

[clevin]

of course i remember that icon. it has its place in history though. and forever will live on as clevin's 'tar, until he changes it :p

I promise I won't. :D

GoodBye Netscape.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3273/2300656396_768fdd65d9_d.jpg (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3273/2300656396_b08ff6a075_o_d.png)

[ravenvii]

I, too, remember back in the day when I used Netscape 4.7.x because it was better than Internet Explorer.

The legacy of Netscape still lives on with Mozilla (and Firefox).

[Abstract]

I can still remember how excited we were watching that meteor shower. :D:D

Ah… memories… :(

Way more exciting than Microsoft's stupid "e".

[foidulus]

Way more exciting than Microsoft's stupid "e".

Before the "e" there was the flying windows icon, which I always seemed to like better than the e...

[Shadow]

I never really used Netscape, but I'm sad to see it go. Although Netscape 9 was essentially just a rebranded Firefox...

[Nermal]

Although Netscape 9 was essentially just a rebranded Firefox...

It looked like a rebranded Firefox and used the same engine, but there was more to it than that. I can say that because on my work system Firefox 2 would crash 2-3 times per week, and Netscape 9 has never crashed.

Anyway, yes, I remember using Netscape 1 at school. The meteor shower hadn't yet been implemented, instead it was simply an "N" that embossed and debossed itself.

[cheeseadiddle]

I still happen across some real retro websites in the odd web search. They bring back memories :). For some odd reason they all had flashing text and were red on green or something else hideous.

When I first got on the net, there were still gray web sites that were made before the browser could show color. In fact, probably half of them were gray. Anyone remember using Gopher?

[MacNut]

I remember when all the websites were text.:o

[Marvin1379]

First NCSA Mosaic, now Netscape. Who'll be next.. :o :p

AOL hopefully. Their software is outdated, to say the least, and features have always been redundant to the web, although they brought it together in a package. Now that package "destroys" the machine it's installed on.

[Marvin1379]

When I first got on the net, there were still gray web sites that were made before the browser could show color. In fact, probably half of them were gray. Anyone remember using Gopher?

Gopher and finger, too. Ahhh, the memories. :rolleyes:

[Zwhaler]

Man I always hated Netscape. I always perferred IE.. until I realized that it sucks and switched to Safari :D

[Cromulent]

When I first got on the net, there were still gray web sites that were made before the browser could show color. In fact, probably half of them were gray. Anyone remember using Gopher?

Haha, yeah I remember that. I don't think I used FTP all that much though.

And the best e-mail client was Eudora :). God I can't remember when browsers started being able to show colour.

14.4kbps modems ftw :).

[mogzieee]

It was a pity, but noone used it these days... just 0.6% market share. Even Safari for windows has more than that...

[Applespider]

I used to use Gopher and remember the 'excitement' when Mosaic came out - grey backgrounds and all. And then Netscape - and the amusement of the meteors later. I'd forgotten until Nermal mentioned the embossed N.

Kept Netscape for many years while I had a PC until so many sites became IE-overfriendly.

Still... at least the downfall of netscape helped in the Microsoft antitrust case. :rolleyes:

[MacDawg]

I remember when all the websites were text.:o

I remember dialing into bulletin boards, then came CompuServe, and the online games were text based games. Actually, I prefer those old text based games. They made you think. Never been a fan of the graphic games.

Woof, Woof - Dawg http://homepage.mac.com/k.j.vinson/pawprint.gif

[Shadow]

It looked like a rebranded Firefox and used the same engine, but there was more to it than that. I can say that because on my work system Firefox 2 would crash 2-3 times per week, and Netscape 9 has never crashed.

Anyway, yes, I remember using Netscape 1 at school. The meteor shower hadn't yet been implemented, instead it was simply an "N" that embossed and debossed itself.

Yes, I agree, Netscape 9 is far better than Firefox. Why is it only me that hates Firefox (its fine on Windows, but on the Mac its horrid!)?

[ravenvii]

Yes, I agree, Netscape 9 is far better than Firefox. Why is it only me that hates Firefox (its fine on Windows, but on the Mac its horrid!)?

I agree. I only have Firefox because a few websites work better on it than Safari.

But I was very impressed with the progress they've made with Firefox 3. I think you will be, too.