Are there any Netscape users out there anymore? That may be somewhat facetious but the browser is a long way from the days when the Navigator was somewhat hip. Then, Netscape was hammered by IE and acquired by AOL. AOL drove Netscape even further to the fringes with a bloated, user-unfriendly upgrade that made the folks happy at IE and Opera. Well, it turns out Netscape is not only alive but also releasing a new version called Netscape 8 that will feature anti-fraud technology. The beta was going to be out by mid-February but - surprise, surprise - it was delayed due to software bugs.
It will be a major surprise if N8 gets any momentum. With Microsoft apparently intent on upgrading IE, and Firefox rolling along with more than 25 million downloads this year, Netscape will likely remain a marginal browser. Its status could be salvaged if it comes out with kick-ass features but AOL's chances of doing anything remarkably innovative seem remote.