RIP Netscape Navigator

By Jake • January 2nd, 2008 • 16 Comments

navrip.jpgNews came out over the weekend that AOL was killing Netscape Navigator. This one hits home for a certain age group, i.e. mine, since for many people, Netscape Navigator was the first window into the Interwebs.

Navigator had all the important firsts in browsers, cookies, Javascript (obviously), frames, etc. It was the de facto browser, and for many, it was synonymous with the Interwebs. Then, Microsoft came along and squashed it.

Even as recently as 2000, when Netscape 6 was introduced, the browser had cool new features, e.g. tabs, that are now the mainstay of every browser from IE to Firefox and all the others. Ironically, the success of Mozilla, spun off from Netscape in 1998, and specifically Firefox, probably accelerated the demise of the granddaddy of all browsers.

Yeah, I know it’s not the primogenitor of browsers, that would be Mosaic, which was the first browser I used. However, Navigator was a nostalgic relic, and it reminds me of the Bubble and of the powerhouse companies that roamed the Valley then. It’s sad to see the end of an era.

What was your first browser?


Possibly Related Posts

  • http://jimpix.co.uk/ Jim

    My first browser was Netscape. I remember using it at Birmingham University in 1994. It all seemed very strange and new back then…

  • http://jimpix.co.uk/ Jim

    My first browser was Netscape. I remember using it at Birmingham University in 1994. It all seemed very strange and new back then…

  • Pingback: FriendFeed

  • Justin Kestelyn

    Mosaic Netscape, not too long after my first Internet forays via gopher etc. – that pre-Web toolset which was widely available in those “Internet in a Box” kits of the early 90s. This was the only popularly accessible alternative to AOL or Prodigy at that time, if I remember correctly.

  • Justin Kestelyn

    Mosaic Netscape, not too long after my first Internet forays via gopher etc. – that pre-Web toolset which was widely available in those “Internet in a Box” kits of the early 90s. This was the only popularly accessible alternative to AOL or Prodigy at that time, if I remember correctly.

  • Justin Kestelyn

    Mosaic Netscape, not too long after my first Internet forays via gopher etc. – that pre-Web toolset which was widely available in those “Internet in a Box” kits of the early 90s. This was the only popularly accessible alternative to AOL or Prodigy at that time, if I remember correctly.

  • Gary

    Oldie here. My first browser was Lynx, through a telnet session from a CompuServe account. Graphics ? Who needs ‘em ?

  • Gary

    Oldie here. My first browser was Lynx, through a telnet session from a CompuServe account. Graphics ? Who needs ‘em ?

  • Matt

    I used Mosaic first in 1994 at Syracuse University but switched to Netscape as soon as I found out about it. Netscape seemed cooler for reasons I don’t recall. Then came their huge IPO and all the cool stuff Netscape did as a company to demonstrate the web. Remember their web page that let you enter a message in a form and it would display your message on a scrolling LED sign somewhere at Netscape headquarters and show it to you with a web cam? Much better than the “blink” tag.

    I still used Netscape up ’till version 7.something until switching to Firefox when it became unbearable to use with AOL’s foulups. RIP Netscape, old pal.

  • Matt

    I used Mosaic first in 1994 at Syracuse University but switched to Netscape as soon as I found out about it. Netscape seemed cooler for reasons I don’t recall. Then came their huge IPO and all the cool stuff Netscape did as a company to demonstrate the web. Remember their web page that let you enter a message in a form and it would display your message on a scrolling LED sign somewhere at Netscape headquarters and show it to you with a web cam? Much better than the “blink” tag.

    I still used Netscape up ’till version 7.something until switching to Firefox when it became unbearable to use with AOL’s foulups. RIP Netscape, old pal.

  • Paul

    Oracle PowerBrowser, Baby!

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oracle_PowerBrowser

    ok, not really…

  • Paul

    Oracle PowerBrowser, Baby!

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oracle_PowerBrowser

    ok, not really…

  • Jake

    Wow thanks for reminding me of that. I actually had that installed and used it a few times back in 1997. I think Larry had his cat whip up a browser just to prove Barksdale and Andreessen wrong.

    PowerBrowser, FTW!

  • Jake

    Wow thanks for reminding me of that. I actually had that installed and used it a few times back in 1997. I think Larry had his cat whip up a browser just to prove Barksdale and Andreessen wrong.

    PowerBrowser, FTW!

  • Brian Tkatch

    My first browser was either the AOL browser or GNN Navigator.

  • Brian Tkatch

    My first browser was either the AOL browser or GNN Navigator.