Netscape Navigator 9 Beta 1 released

Filed under: News, Windows, Macintosh, Linux, Freeware

Netscape Navigator 9 Beta 1 released

by Grant Robertson Jun 5th 2007

The latest version of the venerable Netscape Navigator browser has been shoved kicking and screaming into beta, with a host of improvements that might make it worth a second look.

The list of upgrades to the browser -- which introduced a great many of us to the World Wide Web for the very first time -- includes:

Firefox 2 Extension Compatibility - Like Navigator but miss your Firefox extensions? Not anymore.
URL Correction - No more googlecom or downlodsquad, the browser handles auto-correction of common mistakes
News Menu and Sidebar - Integration with the Netscape.com social news site, including in-browser voting
Sidebar Mini-browser - The sidebar isn't just for bookmarks anymore

For the full low-down on what's up in Netscape Navigator 9 check out the What's New document. Firefox extension compatibility could make Navigator a very strong alternative once again after many years of lagging behind the crowd.

Tags: Netscape Navigator, NetscapeNavigator

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Parker said 4:01PM on 6-05-2007

The name leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Totally irrational, I know, but I think rebranding the product could cause a lot of people to give NN another chance. I don't think a browser called Netscape Navigator could be a success even if it came with a time machine -- people remember how bad it used to be.

Josh B. said 7:59PM on 6-05-2007

"Firefox extension compatibility could make Navigator a very strong alternative once again after many years of lagging behind the crowd."

Really? Why? Seems like the only switchers this feature will entice would be Firefox users, who have no reason to switch, as they have a perfectly awesome browser currently.

If you are switching from a non-firefox browser to one that supports Firefox's feature of extensibility, what compelling reason would you have to choose NN9 over FF?

Oh. Right. URL correction.

Scott Kaiser said 9:08PM on 6-05-2007

Yawn!

Waaaaay too late to the party. If Netscape ever wants to win browser users again, it must create an extremely innovative new browser with features the others don't have. Merely keeping up with the pack isn't enough.

dhanraj said 2:34AM on 6-11-2007

hello

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