Netscape Navigator: What is it, what is it for and how does this mythical Internet browser work?

Netscape Navigator was one of the first browsers to gain popularity and acceptance on the web; heir to the pioneering Mosaic browser.

This explorer became the first option as a tool when making some kind of query on the web, thus spreading among many computers. Everyone really wanted to get started in the fascinating world of hypertext.

It became the main competition for the Explorer browser, but until 2003, when AOL made the decisive decision not to authorize new versions of that program from then on. Subsequently, Mozilla inherited the patents hoping to be part of the market.

What is Netscape Navigator and what was it for at the beginning of the Internet?

Netscape Navigator was the first successful result for the giant company Netscape Communications, this web browser whose creator was Marc Andreesen; co-founder of the aforementioned company and co-author of Mosaic, it was innovation by being a pioneer in terms of commercial browsers, being the total dominator of that market, widely surpassing Internet Explorer.

It is true that at that time there was a small number of Internet users, According to data provided by Our World in Data, this number slightly exceeded 50 million users around the entire planet. But, this fact was directly responsible for the explosion of the Internet.

If you want to investigate the history of browsers, as a fundamental fact is the rivalry that existed between them, since there was always one who dominated, the others were just alternatives trying to compete from a distance.

It was quite a reality in the 90’s Netscape Navigator was the leader of all that there was, for the compatibility that it presented with other platforms and for the tools that it gradually incorporated.

By the time the latest versions are released, this explorer incorporated the options for mail clients, reader for newsgroups, editor for web pages and others, all these with a lot of popularity and a lot of acceptance for that moment. Thanks to them it was renamed as Netscape Communicator.

What were the most interesting features that this browser had?

Some of the most interesting features of Netscape Navigator were:

Speed

Among its most outstanding characteristics was without a doubt its speed, since it used an engine for the interpretation that It was in charge of carrying out all the loading of the text and graphics at the same time. Unlike the other browsers, whose operation was based on starting with the loading of the text and later on that of the graphics. This for slow connections was phenomenal, especially for telephone networks.

Compatibility

The Netscape Navigator managed to efficiently integrate both CSS and JavaScript and HTML, fully incorporating the rhythm, which for that specific moment came to mark the entire design of the web pages. In addition, programs such as Adobe Flash Player and the also known to all Acrobat Reader, were able to open those Flash and PDF type files, so managing variety in terms of different types of content was possible.

Easy to use

Easy to install and its design was mostly pretty clean and very simple. did indeed integrate absolutely all search engines to adapt to the requirements of the most used search engines such as Google, Ask and Yahoo, with their respective blocker for annoying pop-up pages. Its toolbar had all the ability to be customized.

Security

It used SSL encryption in order to provide the greatest protection to all sensitive information. Likewise, this system was able to verify the identity of both parties prior to sending passwords for bank accounts, among others. It integrated the so-called anti-spyware and anti-adware, with the firm intention of giving everyone the opportunity to receive the ideal conditions for truly safe navigation.

Causes of closure Why was the Netscape browser project terminated?

The cause, without a doubt, of the closure of this pioneer in terms of navigation, It was a resounding victory for Internet Explorer, and it is that this war led to the end of the AOL colossus with only an acceptance figure of 0.6%, which made it a project with little profitability being discontinued for 2008. This in turn opened the way for its successor Mozilla Navigator.

One aspect that could affect Netscape was its business model, because the distribution of this was carried out free of charge, but the business was based on the sale of the software for all the servers.

For this reason, Microsoft’s next forceful action was to attack its competitor in terms of profits; incorporating servers for the Internet Information Server web, completely free of charge and included within the servers under the Windows environment, so they would obtain clones for all the proxy servers without making any payment or with hefty and attractive discounts.

Subsequently, Microsoft managed to establish important agreements with all the licensing companies for computers, so it was necessary at all times to include the exclusive desktop icons for IE, and it was even possible to receive penalties for including Netscape.

What were the contributions of the Netscape browser to current online browsing?

It is to be highlighted as a really significant contribution of Netscape Navigator public access to navigation, since before 1994 this was limited only to gated communities.

After this year and due to the contributions of this project, the laws opened the doors of access to any individual and although other companies were not open to this possibility, Netscape did take advantage of it and with it became the open door to welcome you everyone to the web world.

Also, he accustomed everyone to constantly receive product updates, from new advantages to elements that were more complex and much more innovative. Details that are still observed today when all companies periodically present new versions to all their customers that adapt to all types of tastes and needs.