Netscape has finally released the new version of their suite of Internet products, Netscape 6.0. Based around the Netscape Navigator browser, Netscape 6.0 promises to offer a lean, powerful browser that maintains compliance with JavaScript and HTML standards. Netscape also hopes that Navigator 6.0 will put Netscape back on the browser map, a market the company dominated five years ago.
One of Netscape 6is most interesting new features is the new “My Sidebar” section, an area on the left side of the browser for storing information, or web pages, for stocks, news, weather, and any number of other features, including a useris Buddy List. AOLis Instant Messenger comes tightly integrated with Netscape 6.0.
Along with Instant Messaging, Netscape 6.0 includes a full-featured e-mail client, and a relatively robust Usenet News reader. Netscape hopes to position version 6.0 as a do-it-all application.
Users may, however, only install desired components. The new installer allows users to choose which “parts” of the package they would like, allowing, for example, a user to only install Navigator while not including the news or mail clients.
Oneof the most striking features of Netscape 6.0 is the radically different interface. The “traditional” Netscape look is a thing of the past, and version 6.0 offers the ability to build and add “skins” to the browser, allowing for extreme interface customization.
On the security side, Netscape 6.0 offers 128-bit encryption, and allows users greater control over site generated cookies.
We expect to run Netscape 6.0 through its paces of the next few weeks, and will give you a full report once we do. For now, if you are interested, you can find more information and download links for Netscapeis latest offering at the Netscape web site.