Netscape History

 

  • March 1993: Marc Andreessen announces Mosaic.
  • Mid.1994, Jim Clark and Marc Andreessen found Mosaic Communications.
  • October 1994: Marc Andreessen announces Netscape 0.9. The original release of the browser supports all basic HTML 2 elements and some limited HTML 3 functionality.
  • November 11, 1994: following a protracted lawsuit with the University of Illinois, "Mosaic Communications" is forced to rename itself "Netscape Communications." All references to this former identity are erased. The "M" logo is removed from the title graphic on home.mcom.com.
    Mozilla, Netscape's mascot, can be seen everywhere on Netscape's site in those days. It's Netscape's main logo before 1995, when Mozilla was replaced by the familiar Netscape stars logo (Also seen in the Netscape throbber). Mozilla was inspired by Jamie Zawinski.
  • April 1995: Netscape 1.1 released. 1.1 added table support as well as many of its own new HTML elements and attributes.
  • July 1995: Final Netscape 1.2 released. Updates for the user interface for Windows 95 and added no new HTML support. By the summer of 1995 most WWW users on the internet were using Netscape's browser. Market share was at 80%+. With the launch of Windows 1995 and a web browser of its own (Internet Explorer) in August 1995, MS began to challenge Netscape. Unlike Netscape, Internet Explorer was free of charge, but not yet bundled with Windows (it came withe the old Plus! package).
  • March 1996: Netscape Navigator 2 released. It introduced breakthrough features (frames, Java, Javacript, Plugins). With the Netscape 2 release Netscape successfully battled the MS giant. The Browser Wars begin.
  • August 1996: Netscape Navigator 3 released. The first beta was codenamed "Atlas". Many new features were added: new plugins, background colors in tables, support for underlining, frame borde control, font face styles. Also new elements to layout (multicol) and spacing control (spacer). Also new: the ARCHIVE atribute and the APPLET element.
  • 1996 - 1998 The Browser Wars. Microsoft and Netscape battles for the WWW and its users. Internet Explorer is free of charge and eventually gets bundled with the Windows operating systems - a huge advantage compared to the not-free, not-bundled Netscape. Netscape and Microsoft both introduce proprietary tags to make people use their browsers. In addition to the IE bundling with Windows, Netscape's technological standstill in those days eventually makes Mozilla a rare animal.
  • December 1996: Preview of Netscape Communicator 4.0 available. It adds the new LAYER element.
  • Feburary 1997: Second preview release of Netscape Communicator 4: CSS/JSS support.
  • April 1997: Third preview of NC 4: Imrovements to the CSS support.
  • May 1997: Fourth and fifth preview release: Minor HTML improvements in Beta 4, introduction of the Netcaster push technology.
  • June 1997: Netscape Communicator 4 Final released. More CSS support (much, but not all of CSS1), minimal dynamic font and OBJECT element support.
  • January 1998: Netscape announces that all future Netscape browsers will be free of charge and also that the development of the browser will be open-source. Mozilla.org is found. Grommit aka Netscape 5.0 announced, based on Communicator code, soon to be cancelled in favor of Gecko (November 1998).
  • October 1998: Netscape Communicator 4.5 released. Various functioinality improvements, but no new HTML or CSS support. Only Bug fixing.
  • November 1998: Netscape 5.0 cancelled in favor of a completely new product, based on new technology (Gecko).
  • November 1998: AOL buys Netscape, Netscape as an idependent company ceases to exist. Mozilla.org posts the following two statements regarding Mozillas position after the merger: "fear and loathing on the merger trail" and "Steve Case on Mozilla".
  • November 2000: Netscape 6.0 "Final" released, based on Mozilla 0.6 - regarded by many as the biggest mistake in Netscape history. Many old users finally switch to Internet Explorer. Market share is dropping even more.
  • Feburary 2001: Netscape 6.01 released, based on Mozilla 0.6
  • August 2001: Netscape 6.1 released, based on Mozilla 0.9.2 - a worthy Netscape 6 releases, over a year after the Netscape 6.0 debacle.
  • October 2001: Netscape 6.2 released, based on Mozilla 0.9.4 - it's finally time to switch to Netscape 6.
  • December 2001: Netscape 6.2.1 released, based on Mozilla 0.9.4. Rumors of the next major Netscape release surface. Codename "Mach V", probably Netscape 7.
  • March 2002: Netscape 6.2.2 released. Yet another minor release based on Mozilla 0.9.4.
  • April 2002: Preparations for Mozilla's major 1.0 release. Release Candidate 1 is available for download April 19th.
  • May 10th 2002: Mozilla 1.0 Release Candidate 2 released.
  • May 11th 2002: Netscape 6.2.3 released, based on Mozilla 0.9.4
  • May 22nd 2002: Netscape 7.0 Preview Release released, based on Mozilla RC2.
  • August 25th 2002: Netscape Communicator 4.8 released.
  • August 29th 2002: Netscape 7.0 Final released.
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