Netscape 7 PR1 released, browser war on again?


The timing of this otherwise innocuous announcement -- the availability of Netscape PR1 (a beta by any other name...) -- points deliciously toward the possibility that the browser war is definitely on again.

According to Netscape, this whole-number update includes an improved browser, mail and instant messaging (IM) application. Specific improvements include tabbed browsing and enhanced mail performance.

The worm turns

After several years, the development of Netscape-branded browsers has definitely picked up pace. It has only been a few weeks since Netscape 6.2 was loosed on the world and it's likely that a golden master version of the 7.0 browser will be available within weeks.

Add this to the fact that AOL has dumped IE as the default browser in the v2.0 beta of AOL for Mac OS X, as well as the two companies' collaboration on Apple's iChat, and a pattern begins to emerge.

It remains to be seen whether AOL will also include Netscape's Gecko-powered browser in the next iteration of their software for the PC, but it seems like a fairly safe bet.

It's possible that Mac users are being used as guinnea pigs to test the re-invigorated browser. We're a small, yet significant segment of the market and perhaps the ideal trojan horse for AOL to begin moving its millions of users away from M$.

If indeed the browser war is on again, it's definitely good news for everyone -- PC and Mac users alike -- as it signals a return of real competition to a part of the market that has languished for a couple years (When was the last real advance in browser technology?).

Yes, OmniWeb, iCab, etc. are all fine browsers and bring unique functionality to the table, but the broader market knows little of these products. Netscape brings instantaneous cachet that these vendors don't. Also, with AOL's backing, Netscape-branded products stand a chance of unseating M$.