# Netscape Navigator

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Web browser by Netscape released in 1994

This article is about the original Netscape Navigator (versions 1 to 4.08). For the final 2007 release, see [Netscape Navigator 9](/source/Netscape_Navigator_9). For a full list of Netscape software releases, see [Netscape (web browser)](/source/Netscape_(web_browser)).

Netscape Navigator Netscape Navigator 1.22 Developer Netscape Release 15 December 1994; 31 years ago (1994-12-15)[1] Final release 9.0.0.6 (February 20, 2008; 18 years ago (2008-02-20)) [±] Type Web browser

**Netscape Navigator** was a brand of [web browsers](/source/Web_browser) first developed and sold by [Netscape Communications Corporation](/source/Netscape) in 1994 that was progressively developed until its discontinuation in the late 1990s before the brand was briefly revived for the release of [Netscape Navigator 9](/source/Netscape_Navigator_9) under [AOL](/source/AOL) in 2007. It was the [flagship](/source/Core_product) product of the [Netscape Communications Corporation](/source/Netscape) and was the dominant web browser in terms of [usage share](/source/Usage_share_of_web_browsers) in the 1990s, but by around 2003 its user base had all but disappeared.[2] This was partly because Microsoft bundled [Internet Explorer](/source/Internet_Explorer) with the [Windows](/source/Microsoft_Windows) [operating system](/source/Operating_system).[3][4]

The business demise of Netscape was a central premise of [Microsoft's antitrust trial](/source/United_States_v._Microsoft_Corp.), wherein the Court ruled that [Microsoft](/source/Microsoft)'s bundling of [Internet Explorer](/source/Internet_Explorer) with the [Windows operating system](/source/Microsoft_Windows) was a [monopolistic](/source/Monopoly) and illegal business practice. The decision came too late for Netscape, however, as Internet Explorer had by then become the dominant web browser for Windows.

Initially a standalone product, the Netscape Navigator browser was incorporated into the [Netscape Communicator](/source/Netscape_Communicator) [internet suite](/source/Internet_suite) in 1997.

After primary development of the [browser engine](/source/Browser_engine) transitioned to the open source [Mozilla](/source/Mozilla) project, which included a rewrite of the engine [source code](/source/Source_code), the Netscape Navigator brand name returned in 2007 when [AOL](/source/AOL) announced [Netscape Navigator 9](/source/Netscape_Navigator_9). On December 28, 2007, AOL canceled its development but continued supporting the web browser with security updates until March 1, 2008. AOL allows downloading of archived versions of the Netscape Navigator web browser family.[5]

## History and development

### Origin

Mosaic Netscape 0.9, a preview version, with image of the Mozilla mascot, and the Mosaic logo in the top-right corner

Netscape Navigator was inspired by the success of the [Mosaic](/source/Mosaic_(web_browser)) web browser, which was co-written by [Marc Andreessen](/source/Marc_Andreessen), a part-time employee of the [National Center for Supercomputing Applications](/source/National_Center_for_Supercomputing_Applications) at the [University of Illinois](/source/University_of_Illinois_at_Urbana%E2%80%93Champaign). After Andreessen graduated in 1993, he moved to [California](/source/California) and there met [Jim Clark](/source/James_H._Clark), the recently departed founder of [Silicon Graphics](/source/Silicon_Graphics). Clark believed that the Mosaic browser had great commercial possibilities and provided the seed money. Soon [Mosaic Communications Corporation](/source/Mosaic_Communications_Corporation) was in business in [Mountain View, California](/source/Mountain_View%2C_California), with Andreessen as a vice-president. Since the University of Illinois was unhappy with the company's use of the Mosaic name, the company changed its name to Netscape Communications (suggested by product manager Greg Sands[6]) and named its flagship web browser Netscape Navigator.

Netscape announced in its first press release (October 13, 1994) that it would make Navigator available without charge to all non-commercial users, and beta versions of version 1.0 and 1.1 were freely downloadable in November 1994 and March 1995, with the full version 1.0 available in December 1994.[7] However, two months later, the company announced that only educational and non-profit institutions could use version 1.0 at no charge.[8]

The reversal was complete with the availability of version 1.1 beta on March 6, 1995, in which a press release states that the final 1.1 release would be available at no cost only for academic and non-profit organizational use.

The first few releases of the product were made available in "commercial" and "evaluation" versions; for example, version "1.0" and version "1.0N". The "N" evaluation versions were identical to the commercial versions; the letter was intended as a reminder to people to pay for the browser once they felt they had tried it long enough and were satisfied with it. This distinction was formally dropped within a year of the initial release, and the full version of the browser continued to be made available for free online, with boxed versions available on floppy disks (and later CDs) in stores along with a period of phone support. During this era, "Internet Starter Kit" books were popular, and usually included a floppy disk or CD containing internet software, and this was a popular means of obtaining Netscape's and other browsers.[9] Email support was initially free and remained so for a year or two until the volume of support requests grew too high.

During development, the Netscape browser was known by the code name *[Mozilla](/source/Mozilla_(mascot))*, which became the name of a [Godzilla](/source/Godzilla)-like cartoon dragon [mascot](/source/Mascot) used prominently on the company's website. The Mozilla name was also used as the [User-Agent](/source/User_agent) in [HTTP](/source/HTTP) requests by the browser. Other web browsers claimed to be compatible with Netscape's extensions to HTML and therefore used the same name in their User-Agent identifiers so that web servers would send them the same pages as were sent to Netscape browsers. [Mozilla](/source/Mozilla) is now a generic name for matters related to the [open source](/source/Open_source_software) successor to Netscape Communicator and is most identified with the browser [Firefox](/source/Firefox).

### Rise

When the consumer [Internet](/source/Internet) revolution arrived in the mid-1990s, Netscape was well-positioned to take advantage of it and the influx of new users it brought. With a good mix of features and an attractive [licensing](/source/Software_license) scheme that allowed free use for non-commercial purposes, the Netscape browser soon became the [de facto](/source/De_facto) standard, particularly on the [Windows](/source/Microsoft_Windows) platform. [Internet service providers](/source/Internet_service_provider) and computer magazine publishers helped make Navigator readily available.

A floppy disk of Netscape Navigator for Macintosh systems.

An innovation that Netscape introduced in 1994 was the on-the-fly display of web pages, where text and graphics appeared on the screen as the web page downloaded. Earlier web browsers would not display a page until all graphics on it had been loaded over the network connection; this meant a user might have only a blank page for several minutes.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] With Netscape, people using [dial-up](/source/Dial-up_Internet_access) connections could begin reading the text of a web page within seconds of entering a web address, even before the rest of the text and graphics had finished downloading. This made the web much more tolerable to the average user.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*]

Through the late 1990s, Netscape made sure that Navigator remained the technical leader among web browsers. New features included [cookies](/source/HTTP_cookie), [frames](/source/Framing_(World_Wide_Web)),[10] [proxy auto-config](/source/Proxy_auto-config),[11] and [JavaScript](/source/JavaScript) (in version 2.0). Although those and other innovations eventually became open standards of the [W3C](/source/World_Wide_Web_Consortium) and [ECMA](/source/Ecma_International) and were emulated by other browsers, they were often viewed as controversial. Netscape, according to critics, was more interested in bending the [web](/source/World_Wide_Web) to its own de facto "standards" (bypassing standards committees and thus marginalizing the commercial competition) than it was in fixing bugs in its products. Consumer rights advocates were particularly critical of cookies and of commercial websites using them to invade individual privacy.

In the marketplace, however, these concerns made little difference. Netscape Navigator remained the market leader with more than 50% [usage share](/source/Usage_share_of_web_browsers). Navigator releases were supported on a wide range of operating systems, including Windows ([3.1](/source/Windows_3.1x), [95](/source/Windows_95), [98](/source/Windows_98), [NT](/source/Windows_NT)), [Macintosh](/source/Apple_Macintosh), [Linux](/source/Linux), [OS/2](/source/OS%2F2),[12] and many versions of Unix including [OSF/1](/source/Tru64_UNIX#OSF.2F1), [Sun Solaris](/source/Solaris_(operating_system)), [BSD/OS](/source/BSD%2FOS), [IRIX](/source/IRIX), [AIX](/source/IBM_AIX), and [HP-UX](/source/HP-UX), and looked and worked nearly identically on every one of them. Netscape began to experiment with prototypes of a web-based system, known internally as "Constellation", which would allow users to access and edit their files anywhere across a network, no matter what computer or operating system they happened to be using.[13]

Industry observers forecast the dawn of a new era of connected computing. The underlying [operating system](/source/Operating_system), it was believed, would not be an important consideration; future applications would run within a web browser. This was seen by Netscape as a clear opportunity to entrench Navigator at the heart of the next generation of computing, and thus gain the opportunity to expand into all manner of other software and service markets.

### Decline

This section needs more citations. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Netscape Navigator" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (December 2020) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Usage share of Netscape Navigator, 1994–2007

With the success of Netscape showing the importance of the web (more people were using the Internet due in part to the ease of using Netscape), Internet browsing began to be seen as a potentially profitable market. Following Netscape's lead, Microsoft started a campaign to enter the web browser software market. Like Netscape before them, Microsoft licensed the Mosaic source code from [Spyglass, Inc.](/source/Spyglass%2C_Inc.) (which in turn licensed code from [University of Illinois](/source/University_of_Illinois)). Using this basic code, Microsoft created [Internet Explorer](/source/Internet_Explorer) (IE).

The competition between Microsoft and Netscape dominated the [browser wars](/source/Browser_wars). Internet Explorer, [Version 1.0](/source/Internet_Explorer_1) (shipped in the Internet Jumpstart Kit in Microsoft Plus! For [Windows 95](/source/Windows_95)[14]) and IE, [Version 2.0](/source/Internet_Explorer_2) (the first cross-platform version of the web browser, supporting both [Windows](/source/Windows) and [Mac OS](/source/Classic_Mac_OS)[15]) were thought by many to be inferior and primitive when compared to contemporary versions of Netscape Navigator. With the release of [IE version 3.0](/source/Internet_Explorer_3) (1996), Microsoft was able to catch up with Netscape competitively, with [IE Version 4.0](/source/Internet_Explorer_4) (1997) further improving in terms of market share. [IE 5.0](/source/Internet_Explorer_5) (1999) improved stability and took significant market share from Netscape Navigator for the first time.

There were two versions of Netscape Navigator 3.0, the Standard Edition and the Gold Edition. The latter consisted of the Navigator browser with e-mail, news readers, and a [WYSIWYG](/source/WYSIWYG) web page compositor; however, these extra functions enlarged and slowed the software, rendering it prone to crashing.

This Gold Edition was renamed [Netscape Communicator](/source/Netscape_Communicator) starting with version 4.0; the name change diluted its name-recognition and confused users. Netscape CEO [James L. Barksdale](/source/James_L._Barksdale) insisted on the name change because Communicator was a general-purpose *client* application, which contained the Navigator *browser*.

The aging Netscape Communicator 4.x was slower than [Internet Explorer 5.0](/source/Internet_Explorer_5.0). Typical web pages had become heavily illustrated, often JavaScript-intensive, and encoded with HTML features designed for specific purposes but now employed as global layout tools (HTML tables, the most obvious example of this, were especially difficult for Communicator to render). The Netscape browser, once a solid product, became [crash-prone](/source/Crash_(computing)) and [buggy](/source/Software_bug); for example, some versions re-downloaded an entire web page to re-render it when the browser window was re-sized (a nuisance to dial-up users), and the browser would usually crash when the page contained simple [Cascading Style Sheets](/source/Cascading_Style_Sheets), as proper support for CSS never made it into Communicator 4.x. At the time that Communicator 4.0 was being developed, Netscape had a competing technology called [JavaScript Style Sheets](/source/JavaScript_Style_Sheets). Near the end of the development cycle, it became obvious that CSS would prevail, so Netscape quickly implemented a CSS to JSSS converter, which then processed CSS as JSSS (this is why turning JavaScript off also disabled CSS). Moreover, Netscape Communicator's browser interface design appeared dated in comparison to Internet Explorer and interface changes in Microsoft and Apple's operating systems.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*]

By the end of the decade, Netscape's web browser had lost dominance over the Windows platform, and the August 1997 Microsoft financial agreement to invest $150 million in [Apple Computer](/source/Apple_Computer) required that Apple make Internet Explorer the default web browser in new Mac OS distributions. The latest [IE Mac](/source/Internet_Explorer_for_Mac) release at that time was Internet Explorer version 3.0 for Macintosh, but Internet Explorer 4 was released later that year.

Microsoft succeeded in having [ISPs](/source/Internet_service_provider) and PC vendors distribute Internet Explorer to their customers instead of Netscape Navigator, mostly due to Microsoft using its leverage from Windows OEM licenses, and partly aided by Microsoft's investment in making IE [brandable](/source/Brandable_software), such that a customized version of IE could be offered. Also, web developers used [proprietary](/source/Proprietary_software), browser-specific extensions in web pages. Both Microsoft and Netscape did this, having added many proprietary HTML tags to their browsers, which forced users to choose between two competing and almost incompatible web browsers.

Netscape v. 9.0.0.6 with Google search results of "Wikipedia"

In March 1998, Netscape released most of the development [code base](/source/Code_base) for Netscape Communicator under an [open source license](/source/Open_source_license).[16] Only pre-alpha versions of [Netscape 5](/source/Netscape_5) were released before the open source community decided to scrap the Netscape Navigator codebase entirely and build a new web browser around the [Gecko](/source/Gecko_(software)) [layout engine](/source/Browser_engine) which Netscape had been developing but which had not yet incorporated. The community-developed open source project was named *[Mozilla](/source/Mozilla_Application_Suite)*, Netscape Navigator's original [code name](/source/Code_name#Commercial_code_names_in_the_computer_industry). [America Online](/source/America_Online) bought Netscape; Netscape programmers took a pre-[beta](/source/Beta_test)-quality form of the Mozilla codebase, gave it a new GUI, and released it as Netscape 6. This did nothing to win back users, who continued to migrate to Internet Explorer. After the release of Netscape 7 and a long public beta test, Mozilla 1.0 was released on June 5, 2002. The same code-base, notably the Gecko layout engine, became the basis of independent applications, including [Firefox](/source/Mozilla_Firefox) and [Thunderbird](/source/Mozilla_Thunderbird).

On December 28, 2007, the Netscape developers announced that AOL had canceled development of Netscape Navigator, leaving it unsupported as of March 1, 2008.[17][18] Archived and unsupported versions of the browser remain available for download.

## Legacy

Netscape's contributions to the web include [JavaScript](/source/JavaScript), which was submitted as a new standard to [Ecma International](/source/Ecma_International). The resultant [ECMAScript](/source/ECMAScript) specification allowed JavaScript support by multiple web browsers and its use as a [cross-browser](/source/Cross-browser) scripting language, long after Netscape Navigator itself had dropped in popularity. Another example is the FRAME tag, which is widely supported today, and has been incorporated into official web standards such as the "HTML 4.01 Frameset" specification.

In a 2007 *[PC World](/source/PC_World_(magazine))* column, the original Netscape Navigator was considered the "best tech product of all time" due to its impact on the Internet.[19]

## See also

- [Comparison of web browsers](/source/Comparison_of_web_browsers)

- [History of the World Wide Web](/source/History_of_the_World_Wide_Web)

- [List of web browsers](/source/List_of_web_browsers)

- [Lou Montulli](/source/Lou_Montulli)

- [Timeline of web browsers](/source/Timeline_of_web_browsers)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["NETSCAPE CEO BARKSDALE'S DEPOSITION IN MICROSOFT SUIT (Text)"](https://www.bloomberg.com/press-releases/1998-10-21/netscape-ceo-barksdale-s-deposition-in-microsoft-suit-text). *Bloomberg.com*. October 21, 1998. Retrieved December 12, 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["Roads and Crossroads of the Internet History"](http://www.netvalley.com/cgi-bin/intval/net_history.pl?chapter=4). *NetValley.com*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20150206040430/http://www.netvalley.com/cgi-bin/intval/net_history.pl?chapter=4) from the original on February 6, 2015. Retrieved September 8, 2014.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Dunn, Kent. ["The First Great Internet Browser War"](https://web.archive.org/web/20140904214146/http://internet-browser-review.toptenreviews.com/the-first-great-internet-browser-war.html). TopTenReviews. Archived from [the original](http://internet-browser-review.toptenreviews.com/the-first-great-internet-browser-war.html) on September 4, 2014. Retrieved September 4, 2014.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Netscape's Brief History"](https://web.archive.org/web/20090216175708/http://browser.netscape.com/history). Archived from [the original](http://browser.netscape.com/history) on February 16, 2009. Retrieved February 16, 2009.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Tom Drapeau (December 28, 2007). ["End of Support for Netscape web browsers"](https://web.archive.org/web/20071229140059/http://blog.netscape.com/2007/12/28/end-of-support-for-netscape-web-browsers/). *The Netscape Blog*. Archived from [the original](http://blog.netscape.com/2007/12/28/end-of-support-for-netscape-web-browsers/) on December 29, 2007. Retrieved December 29, 2007.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Greg Sands"](https://web.archive.org/web/20190221111932/http://www.costanoavc.com/team/greg-sands/). *Costanoa Ventures*. Archived from [the original](http://www.costanoavc.com/team/greg-sands/) on February 21, 2019. Retrieved February 20, 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["Netscape Communications Offers New Network Navigator Free on the Internet"](https://web.archive.org/web/20061207145832/http://wp.netscape.com/newsref/pr/newsrelease1.html). AOL.com. October 13, 1994. Archived from [the original](http://wp.netscape.com/newsref/pr/newsrelease1.html) on December 7, 2006. Retrieved September 5, 2015.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["Netscape Communications Ships Release 1.0 of Netscape Navigator and Netscape Servers"](https://web.archive.org/web/20050326152726/http://wp.netscape.com/newsref/pr/newsrelease8.html) (Press release). AOL.com. September 15, 1994. Archived from [the original](http://wp.netscape.com/newsref/pr/newsrelease8.html) on March 26, 2005. Retrieved September 5, 2015.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** Mark Robbin Brown; Steven Forrest Burnett; Tim Evans; Heather Fleming; Galen Grimes; David Gunter; Jerry Honeycutt; Peter Kent; Margaret J. Larson; Bill Nadeau; Todd Stauffer; Ian Stokell; John Williams (1996). [*Netscape Navigator 3 Starter Kit*](https://books.google.com/books?id=nI3EKbLNT3AC). Que. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-7897-1181-6](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-7897-1181-6).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** Ladd, Eric. ["Using HTML 3.2, Java 1.1, and CGI; Ch. 13, Frames"](https://web.archive.org/web/20071030083252/http://docs.rinet.ru/HTMLnya/ch13.htm). Archived from [the original](http://docs.rinet.ru/HTMLnya/ch13.htm) on October 30, 2007.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** ["Navigator Proxy Auto-Config File Format"](https://web.archive.org/web/20061218002753/http://wp.netscape.com/eng/mozilla/2.0/relnotes/demo/proxy-live.html). *Netscape Navigator Documentation*. March 1996. Archived from [the original](http://wp.netscape.com/eng/mozilla/2.0/relnotes/demo/proxy-live.html) on December 18, 2006. Retrieved January 15, 2011.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** Watson, Dave (July 21, 2001). ["A Quick Look at Netscape"](http://www.scoug.com/os24u/2001/netscape.html). The Southern California OS/2 User Group. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20110716021316/http://www.scoug.com/os24u/2001/netscape.html) from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved August 16, 2010.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** Gordon, John (December 24, 2008). ["Why Google loves Chrome: Netscape Constellation"](https://notes.kateva.org/2008/12/why-google-loves-chrome-netscape.html). Gordon's Notes. Retrieved December 18, 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-History_of_Internet_Explorer_14-0)** ["Download Web Browser - Internet Explorer"](http://www.microsoft.com/windows/WinHistoryIE.mspx). *windows.microsoft.com*. Microsoft. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20031002010203/http://www.microsoft.com/windows/WinHistoryIE.mspx) from the original on October 2, 2003. Retrieved September 5, 2015.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-apr96ms_15-0)** ["Microsoft Internet Explorer Web Browser Available on All Major Platforms, Offers Broadest International Support"](https://web.archive.org/web/20130830020831/http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/press/1996/apr96/iemompr.aspx) (Press release). Microsoft. April 30, 1996. Archived from [the original](http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/1996/apr96/iemompr.mspx) on August 30, 2013. Retrieved September 8, 2014.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Freeing_the_Source:_The_Story_of_Mozilla_16-0)** Hamerly, Jim (January 1999). ["Freeing the Source: The Story of Mozilla"](http://oreilly.com/openbook/opensources/book/netrev.html). [O'Reilly](/source/O'Reilly_Media). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20141202095909/http://www.oreilly.com/openbook/opensources/book/netrev.html) from the original on December 2, 2014. Retrieved September 8, 2014.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-17)** [BBC NEWS - Technology - Final goodbye for early web icon](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7270583.stm) BBC News [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20080303143021/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7270583.stm) 3 March 2008 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine) retrieved 29 February 2008

1. **[^](#cite_ref-18)** ["Curtains for Netscape - Tech Bytes"](http://www.cbc.ca/technology/technology-blog/2008/02/curtains-for-netscape.html). *Canadian Broadcasting Company*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20150705110100/http://www.cbc.ca/technology/technology-blog/2008/02/curtains-for-netscape.html) from the original on July 5, 2015. Retrieved June 12, 2015.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-19)** ["The 50 Best Tech Products of All Time"](http://www.pcworld.com/article/130207/article.html). *PCWorld*. April 2, 2007. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20150906204621/http://www.pcworld.com/article/130207/article.html) from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved September 5, 2015.

## External links

- [Notice for Netscape Navigator 2.02 for OS/2 and Netscape Communicator 4.04 for OS/2 Users](https://archive.today/20130103204842/http://ps.software.ibm.com/os2fixp/fixnews_a1.html%23ns202)

- [The hidden features of Netscape Navigator 3.0](http://www.rigaut.com/benoit/CERN/about/) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20201024233431/http://www.rigaut.com/benoit/CERN/about/) 24 October 2020 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine)

- [Netscape Browser Archive - Early Netscape](http://sillydog.org/narchive/full123.php) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20100612235108/http://sillydog.org/narchive/full123.php) 12 June 2010 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine), SillyDog701

Preceded by first Netscape Navigator (1-4.08) Succeeded by Netscape Communicator (4)

v t e Gopher A protocol for document search and retrieval on the Internet Clients Active Dooble Lynx W3m WebPositive Support ended Epiphany Firefox Flock SeaMonkey Discontinued Agora Arachne Amaya Arena AT&T Pogo Beonex Communicator Camino Cello Classilla Conkeror Cyberjack ELinks Epiphany Galeon GopherVR IBrowse Internet Explorer Internet Explorer for Mac Kazehakase libwww Line Mode Browser Minimo Minuet Mosaic Mothra Mozilla Application Suite Netscape OmniWeb SlipKnot Songbird tkWWW UdiWWW xB Browser Server software Bucktooth NetPresenz PyGopherd Squid Synchronet Search engines Jughead Veronica Wide Area Information Server (WAIS) Content AllMusic CCSO Nameserver Gophermap Phlog Hosts SDF Public Access Unix System The WELL Developers Mark P. McCahill

v t e Netscape Browser versions Mosaic Netscape Netscape Navigator 1 2 3 4 Netscape Communicator 4 5 Netscape 6 7 Netscape Browser 8 Netscape Navigator 9 Netscape Plugin Application Programming Interface (NPAPI) E-mail clients Netscape Mail & Newsgroups Netscape Messenger 9 Other components Netscape Composer Server software Netscape Enterprise Server Netscape Application Server Netscape Proxy Server Netscape Directory Server Netscape Server Application Programming Interface (NSAPI) Web services Netscape.com Propeller.com Open Directory Project Netscape ISP People Eric J. Bina James H. Clark Brendan Eich Daniel Glazman Jamie Zawinski Lou Montulli Marc Andreessen Eric A. Meyer Mitchell Baker See also Gecko JSSS Mariner Netscape 5 Netscape Public License Mozilla AOL iPlanet

v t e Timeline of web browsers General Comparison lightweight History List for Unix Usage share 1990s 1990 WorldWideWeb (Nexus) 1991 Line Mode Browser libwww 1992 Erwise MacWWW (Samba) MidasWWW tkWWW ViolaWWW 1993 AMosaic Arena Cello Emacs/W3 Lynx 2 NCSA Mosaic VMS Mosaic 1994 AirMosaic Internet in a Box ANT Fresco Argo IBM WebExplorer SlipKnot Minuet Navipress Mosaic/Mosaic Netscape/Netscape Navigator Spyglass Mosaic TCP/Connect II 1995 Agora ALynx AMSD Ariadna Cyberjack eWorld Web Browser Grail Internet Explorer 1 Internet Explorer 2 Netscape Navigator 2 NetShark OmniWeb HotJava UdiWWW WebShark w3m 1996 Cyberdog Arachne AWeb IBrowse Amaya Internet Explorer 3 MSN Program Viewer Netscape Navigator 3 Opera 2 Oracle PowerBrowser tcpCONNECT4 Voyager 1997 Netscape Communicator Internet Explorer 4 Opera 2.1 1998 NeoPlanet Mozilla Application Suite Opera 3–3.21 1999 iCab Internet Explorer 5 OmniWeb 3 Opera 3.5–3.62 2000s 2000 Beonex Communicator Galeon K-Meleon Konqueror MediaBrowser Netscape 6 Opera 4–4.02 2001 iCab 2.5 Internet Explorer 6 MSN Explorer OmniWeb 4 Opera 5–5.12 2002 Camino Epiphany Netscape 7 Opera 6–6.1 2003 GreenBrowser Maxthon Opera 7–7.3 Safari SlimBrowser 2004 Phoenix/Firebird/Firefox Opera 7.5–7.55 2005 AOL Explorer Deepnet Explorer Firefox 1.5 Netscape Browser Opera 8–8.54 Safari 2 2006 Firefox 2 Internet Explorer 7 Opera 9–9.27 2007 Maxthon 2 Opera 9.5–9.64 Safari 3 SeaMonkey 1.1 2008 Chrome Firefox 3 Netscape Navigator 9 NetSurf 1.2 2009 Chrome 2–3 Firefox 3.5 Internet Explorer 8 Opera 10–10.63 Pale Moon Safari 4 SeaMonkey 2.0 2010s 2010 Chrome 4–8 Firefox 3.6 Lunascape 6.0.1 Maxthon 3 NetSurf 2.5 Opera 11–11.64 Pale Moon 3.6 Safari 5 2011 Chrome 9–16 Firefox 4–9 Internet Explorer 9 Lunascape 6.5 Opera 12–12.17 Pale Moon 4–8 SeaMonkey 2.1–2.4 Waterfox 2012 Chrome 17–23 Firefox 10–17 Internet Explorer 10 Lunascape 6.7 Maxthon 3.4 NetSurf 2.9 Pale Moon 3.6.29–3.6.32, 9.0–15.3.2 Safari 6 Yandex 2013 Chrome 24–31 Firefox 18–26 Internet Explorer 11 Opera 15–18 Pale Moon 15.4–24.2 Safari 7 SeaMonkey 2.15–2.22 2014 Chrome 32–39 Firefox 27–34 Lunascape 6.9 NetSurf 3.1 Opera 19–26 Pale Moon 24.3–25.1 Safari 8 SeaMonkey 2.23–2.31 2015 Chrome 40–47 Firefox 35–43 Lunascape 6.10–6.12 Microsoft Edge 20, 25 Opera 27–34 Pale Moon 25.2–25.8 Safari 9 SeaMonkey 2.32–2.39 Vivaldi Technical Preview 1–Beta 2 2016 Brave 0.7–0.12 Chrome 48–55 Firefox 44–50 Lunascape 6.13–6.15 Microsoft Edge 38 Opera 35–42 Pale Moon 26.0–27.0 Safari 10 Vivaldi Beta 3–1.6 Yandex 16 2017 Brave 0.13–0.19 Chrome 56–63 Firefox 51–57 Microsoft Edge 40, 41 Opera 43–49 Pale Moon 27.1–27.6 Safari 11 SeaMonkey 2.46–2.49 Vivaldi 1.7–1.13 Yandex 17 2018 Basilisk Brave 0.20–0.60 Chrome 64–71 Firefox 58–64 Microsoft Edge 42–44 Opera 50–57 Pale Moon 27.7–28.2 Safari 12 Vivaldi 1.14–2.2 Waterfox 56.0–56.2 Yandex 18 2019 Brave 0.61–1.1 Chrome 72–79 Firefox 65–71 Microsoft Edge 44 Opera 58–65 Pale Moon 28.3–28.8 Safari 13 Vivaldi 2.3–2.10 Waterfox 60.1–68.0a2 Whale 1.4–1.5 Yandex 19 2020s 2020 Brave 1.2–1.18 Chrome 80–87 Firefox 72–84 Microsoft Edge 79–87 Opera 66–73 Pale Moon 28.9–28.17 SeaMonkey 2.53 Vivaldi 2.11–3.5 Yandex 20 Safari 14 2021 Brave 1.19–1.33 Chrome 88–96 Firefox 85–95 Microsoft Edge 88–96 Opera 74–82 Pale Moon 29.0–29.4 SeaMonkey 2.53.10.2 Vivaldi 3.6–5.0 Yandex 21 Safari 15 2022 Arc 0.46–0.81 Brave 1.34–1.46 Chrome 97–108 Firefox 96–108 Microsoft Edge 97–108 Opera 83–94 Pale Moon 30.0–31.4 Vivaldi 5.1–5.6 Yandex 22 Safari 16 2023 Arc 0.85–1.21 Brave 1.47–1.61 Chrome 109–120 Firefox 109–121 Microsoft Edge 109–120 Opera 95–106 Pale Moon 32.0–32.5 Vivaldi 5.7–6.5 Yandex 23 Safari 17 2024 Arc 1.25–1.74 Brave 1.62–1.73 Chrome 121–131 Firefox 122–133 Microsoft Edge 121–131 Opera 107–115 Pale Moon 33.0–33.5 Vivaldi 6.6–7.0 Yandex 24 Safari 18 2025 Arc 1.77–1.126 Brave 1.74–1.85 Chrome 132–143 Firefox 134–146 Microsoft Edge 132–143 Opera 116–125 Pale Moon 33.6–33.9 Vivaldi 7.1–7.7 Yandex 25 Safari 26 2026 Brave 1.86– Chrome 144– Firefox 147– Microsoft Edge 144– Opera 126– Pale Moon 34.0– Vivaldi 7.8– Related topics 3D Markup Language for Web ALIWEB ARPANET ASCII BITNET Browser wars CompuServe Elm Email File Transfer Protocol Gopher HTML HyperCard HyTelnet NCSA Telnet NLS Prodigy Teletext Telnet Usenet UUCP Videotex Viewdata Virtual Reality Markup Language Web page Whole Internet User's Guide and Catalog World Wide Web X.25

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Netscape Navigator](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netscape_Navigator) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netscape_Navigator?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.