Netscape 8.0 Released

Mr. Christmas Lights writes "CNet is reporting that Netscape Navigator Version 8 has been released. The 8.0 Beta debuted back in March, with the final version being based on Firefox 1.03, and includes Trust Rating, a feature which identifies sites as safe or unsafe. Netscape 8.0 also includes a toggle which allows switching between Mozilla and Microsoft's rendering engines as needed. The Main Netscape 8 page has more info, and the 'Download Now' page is already serving up the new browser."

Re:netscape is dead

[Anonymous Coward]

Ever heard of UserAgentSwitcher extension?

Corporate Crapware(tm)

[c0ldfusi0n]

..."AOL INSTANT MESSENGER ("AIM") AND AN AOL MEDIA PLAYER ENGINE ("MEDIA PLAYER") ARE INCLUDED WITHIN THE NETSCAPE 8 BROWSER. THE EXECUTABLE VERSIONS OF THE NETSCAPE 8 BROWSER, AIM, AND THE MEDIA PLAYER ARE REFERRED TO COLLECTIVELY HEREIN AS THE "BROWSER."

Thanks, but no thanks.

Recent security vulnerabilities

[bmw]

The linked article and the official Netscape 8 page are pretty light on technical details but the submitter mentions it is based on firefox 1.0.3. What I'm wondering is whether or not this includes the recent security fixes that brought about the release of 1.0.4. Would be pretty foolish of AOL to not include these since they are considered critical.

I also found the following line from the CNET review pretty amusing.

Netscape 8 is based on Mozilla.org's successful and mostly secure Firefox browser

Certainly not a false statement or anything but I thought the use of the phrase "mostly secure" was pretty funny. :-)

Anyone else get a 404 on the Trust Rating page?

Re:The same netscape ?

[Khyber]

Nope, no click tracking here.. no spyware.. I'm monitoring the data packets sent out, none of them go to Netscape once you set your homepage to google.com.

Re:Why do you need a switch for Render Engine?

[c0ldfusi0n]

Or better yet, just use IE View [mozdev.org] & Firefox View [iosart.com]. Context menus in both IE and FF to view current page in the other browser.

Re:Why do you need a switch for Render Engine?

[tgd]

1) single set of bookmarks
2) tabs
3) better UI
4) plugins like adblock (presuming IE's renderer sees the final version of the DOM... that'd be an interesting test)
5) less clutter
6) one set of proxy information for IE, one for Firefox (again, presuming the IE renderer gets the data from Firefox, not its own HTTP stack)

Re:Why do you need a switch for Render Engine?

[c0ldfusi0n]

Oh and while at it, use Comparator [vasanthdharmaraj.com].

I feel like i'm repeating myself [slashdot.org] over and over.

Enhanced Tabs and Toolbars

[DaoudaW]

Just glancing at their page, it looks like they've come up with some nice paradigms too eliminate browser clutter. 1)You can choose toolbars using a dropdown box. 2)Shortcuts can include multiple websites. For example, you can set "Home" to open multiple websites in a single click.

Re:OK to install alongside Firefox?

[Arctic Dragon]

You can install two Mozilla browsers on the same computer (even two versions of Firefox), as long as they use separate profiles.

I have yet to try the final build of NS8, but I did try the beta and it co-existed peacefully with Firefox. If I remember correctly, NS8 stores its profile in \Application Data\Netscape\, and Firefox stores its profile in \Application Data\Mozilla.

Re:Based off of firefox

[Emetophobe]

Just download the IEView [mozdev.org] extension for Firefox if you really must use that other browser..

Re:rating system?

[jesser]

Verisign, truste, paretologic [netscape.com], and maybe more (the page isn't clear).

Re:Enhanced Tabs and Toolbars

[PeteDotNu]

"For example, you can set "Home" to open multiple websites in a single click."

Just like in Firefox, you mean?

Installer not proxy friendly

[Sporkinum]

Tried slapping it on the computer at work . Only uses a stub installer and no option for a full installer. When you try to run it, it pops a dialog saying Internet connectivity trouble and prompts you for your proxy information. No problem with that. I enter the info, and then I get a dialog saying Configuration Error, Your installer has an invalid configuration.

(lack of) Privacy

[Kainaw]

I'm sure someone already saw this and posted it, but I just noticed it...

4. PRIVACY.

(a) AUTOMATIC FEEDBACK. You agree that the Browser may periodically check your computer system for, and report back, without additional notice to you, information relating to your use of the Browser, including, for example, information relating to the frequency of your use of the Browser, your Browser configuration settings, and information on computer errors, malfunctions or other abnormalities occurring during your use of the Browser. The Netscape Browser team may use the information for such purposes as diagnosing performance issues with the Browser, improving the reliability of the download and install process, and improving its products and services to users generally. This information will not be tied to any information that would identify you personally.

(b) BROWSER ID. The Browser contains a specific identification number for the purpose of tracking the number of unique instances of the Browser in use. This number is not associated with any information about you, or that would personally identify you.

Re:Trusting trust

[Anonymous Coward]

Exactly. It's interesting how all of these companies try to convince people to use a centralized censorship system by using the words "trust" and "rights" and "security" in contexts opposing reality.

Like "trustworthy computing." And "digital rights management." Systems that are designed to put ultimate control of what you see and don't see, do and don't do, in the hands of a small group of companies.

Most people seem to implicitly trust anything that has an expensive-looking ad, so maybe it's not so surprising.

Re:No Mac or Linux?

[mad_ian]

That's because M$ ended production of IE for the Mac [macslash.org], also here [pcpro.co.uk].

And if you weere designing pages on the Mac, and testing them in IE Mac and expecting them to look the same on a Windows box, I have some prime realestate under Manhattan for you.

Re:Why do you need a switch for Render Engine?

[idonthack]

Now my only question is, can I run Windows Update through this browser? So if someone else who decided to get it, let me know.
Yes [cnet.com], yes it does.

Re:it has it's uses

[justforaday]

Status update: After spending my Thursday morning fiddling with Netscape and deactivating shit left and right and getting things set up in a semi-usable way, I'm going to give it a pass. It doesn't seem to want to load the Acrobat plugin, the multibar is horrendous (how the fuck do you remove some of those things from the default toolbar?), it keeps asking me to save passwords after I've told it not to ask in 3 or 4 different places in the prefs (KISS!), and on and on. Nice idea in theory, horrible execution. Not that I would expect anything different from AOL...

Re:Based off of firefox

[FuzzyBad-Mofo]

Build a site correctly and it won't be necessary to have code forks or multiple versions -- even to support mobile devices, screen readers, text browsers, etc. This has been true for years, it's unfortunate there are still those stuck in a 1997 world of nested tables, image slices, and browser-specific code.

Re:The download is just 350kB. Is it a bootstrap?

[FrankNFurter]

Full installer:

http://ftp.netscape.com/pub/netscape8/english/8.0/ windows/win32/nsb-install-8-0.exe [netscape.com]

Re:No thanks...

[hawaiian717]

Earlier rumours said that 8.0 was going to be based on Internet Explorer.

It sounds like you're thinking of the AOL Browser [eweek.com], which is based on IE.

Re:(lack of) Privacy

[vena]

FWIW, they make it pretty clear in the installer that they're doing this and give you the option to turn it off with a single check box.