A sad day today, for sure. For today is the last day that Netscape Navigator will be supported. Today is the end of a great browser and one that still has echoes in everything we use today. For those of you too young, or otherwise interested in other things (like WHAT?) I’ll give you a run-down of the beginnings of Netscape Navigator and the controversy that is still around today with it’s war against Internet Explorer.

It all started in the early 90’s. A guy called Marc Andreessen, who worked for a company called Mosaic which was originally born out of a University project to develop a Unix based web browser, decided to go it alone and develop a Web Browser based on the same code. The Mosaic browser was basic by today’s standards, but was instrumental in the development of the browser market, and what we use today. The University were unhappy with the use of the name Mosaic, so Marc changed the company to Netscape Communications Corp. Marc and his team made the Netscape web browser and initially decided to give it away free for personal use, but quickly back-peddled and restricted who could use the browser without a license. The thing that a lot of people don’t realise about web browsers is that they didn’t used to be free - they are pieces of software like any other, and the companies expected you to pay for them. Thankfully for the general public, Netscape was essentially free, so we used the non-profit version & companies paid for the licenses to use it on their PCs - although at that time the internet was really more of a curiosity than the necessity it is today.

So up until the mid 90’s, everything was good. The few that could afford to use the Web were using Netscape, and the browser very quickly took hold - at it’s peak it had almost 80% of the market share (with some reports stating 90%!) At this point the internet was starting to explode - normal people in the street were starting to take notice of the potential for the global superhighway, and corporations were taking notice too. One of the companies that were taking note was Microsoft.

Previously just a company that made an OS & some other software, Microsoft too could see the potential of the internet and to involve it in their OS. If they could have an environment that was seamless - where all of your information was available in one place, they felt their OS would cement it’s place in the market. People were getting excited by the internet and Microsoft wanted to make sure that interest was used to their advantage.

So Microsoft, previously only interested in the desktop, was now looking to create their own browser, which would interface with their OS. Obvious now, but back then it was a bit of a curiosity - it was almost like a company that had always built cars, to suddenly go out of their way to make garden furniture - just because the weather was hot! The problem was they didn’t have any expertise or history to back them up. What to do? Well they went to a company called Spyglass, which was originally part of the University that helped to develop the original Mosaic code - the same code that was used to develop the Netscape browser.

In a $2 Million deal, Spyglass would give Microsoft a license to use the Mosaic code in their browser, in return as well for royalties they made from sales. Microsoft agreed to these terms. Little did Spyglass know that Microsoft were going to give the browser away for free. At this point people started to realise that Microsoft weren’t just about an OS, built around a geek, but a cutting edge software manufacturer with a ruthless attitude to business. The idea of a free browser for everyone, corporations and personal usage really set the cat amongst the pigeons with Netscape - as it was obviously direct competition to their business model. And from Internet Explorer version 5, Netscape’s market share starting to take a dent. The biggest thing in those days with Internet Explorer, was the ease of use. Netscape was a great, fast and compliant browser, but Internet Explorer slotted well into the system - and considering most people were on dial-up internet - would even dial the modem to hook up your internet connection for you if you were offline and tried to use the browser. Users were given the choice when installing ISP software, what browser they wanted to install, and quite a few were starting to choose Internet Explorer. Just as Microsoft were starting to get some of the market with Internet Explorer, along comes the biggest piece of controversy for Microsoft - and one that people still know about today.

Windows 98 was on the cards, so Microsoft in their wisdom decided to supply Internet Explorer - built right in to the OS. If you wanted to use the file manager, it was basically Internet Explorer. If you wanted to move icons around the desktop - it was basically Internet Explorer. Internet Explorer was intertwined with the OS in such a way, it was difficult to remove. In fact the only way was with a hack, and a copy of the Windows 95 CD. Netscape immediately could see the writing on the wall, and started the ball rolling, with other software companies help, for an anti-trust law suit against Microsoft. The Department of Justice deemed it anti-competitive and monopolistic to supply a browser with their OS. They thought users deserved the choice. Microsoft’s reply was that users could still install Netscape or any other browser if they so wished. But then why would they? There was already a browser built right into the OS.. No picky installation routines, no setting up and no long-winded downloads over dial-up - it was right there. Users were much more likely just to use what they had than to go searching for something else - therefore stifling the competition. The DoJ thought so too and Microsoft were essentially given a slap on the wrist, told to divide up into smaller companies and were to open their books for the next 5 years to prove they were not doing anything of an anti-competitive nature. Users were also given the option of uninstalling Internet Explorer from their OS, which was previously missing from the menus. This was the primary reason for the release of Windows 98 SE (second edition) to comply with the DoJ’s rulings. What did that really mean? Well it meant that blame had been attributed to Microsoft, and opened the way for lawsuits from rival companies to cash in on Microsoft’s activities. Realistically, however, the damage had already been done. For years people would refer to Internet Explorer as “The Internet” - and some still do today - as it was their gateway to the web. Internet Explorer essentially killed off Netscape in one move.

After this time, Netscape found it increasingly more difficult to meet demands and keep up with security updates - funds were scarce and the company was struggling. In steps AOL in 1999 and acquires the company. With AOL’s backing, Netscape launch a lawsuit against Microsoft - blaming them for the downfall of the company. [Microsoft settle] with Netscape for $750 Million and essentially the last battle of the browser war is finished. Moving onwards, the Netscape developers with AOL’s help found “Mozilla” (which was the project code word for Netscape, in the early days.) The Mozilla Foundation as many of us today know, are the open-source community driven body that have been instrumental in the creation of Firefox, Thunderbird, Flock, Seamonkey and many other projects. It looks as though the Netscape legacy will live on in the form of Firefox, which is making big dents into Internet Explorer’s current dominance. It seems that people won’t just use a browser for convenience today - people will use their judgement to find the best solution, rather than opting for the first thing that they see.

So users of Netscape, what should you do? Well as today’s browser market is very much focused on security, you should move on to Firefox. The code-base is virtually the same, and you can even download a netscape-esque skin for Firefox to make you feel more at home! Indeed, just recently, Netscape has pretty much been reduced to little more than a “skin for Firefox.” The good news is Firefox will continue to be supported by the community, and will continue to be the safest browser of choice.

So it’s farewell to the Netscape browser, and thanks to all of the people behind it - past and present. It’s been fun. [SHOW ME]