News

R.I.P. Netscape

The Internet marks a major milestone this month -- but chances are, hardly anybody will notice. AOL LLC, the current owner of Netscape Navigator, will end support for the pioneering browser on Feb. 1.

It's a humble end for Navigator, which, as the world's first commercial browser in 1994, ushered millions of users onto the Web and helped spawn the dotcom gold rush. At one point, parent company Netscape controlled more than 70 percent of the browser market.

But that was before Microsoft-which, until then, had largely ignored the Internet-suddenly changed course, launching Internet Explorer (IE) in 1995.

During the "browser wars" of the next few years, when both companies piled on feature after feature, IE overtook Navigator, whose parent company was acquired by AOL in 1998. IE now controls at least 80 percent of the market. Netscape: less than 1 percent.

About the Author

Anne Stuart, the former executive editor of Redmond Channel Partner, is a business technology freelance writer based in Boston, Mass.

Featured

  • World Map Image

    Microsoft Taps Nebius in $17B AI Infrastructure Deal To Alleviate Cloud Strain

    Microsoft has signed a five-year, $17.4 billion agreement with Amsterdam-based Nebius Group to expand its AI computing capabilities through third-party GPU infrastructure.

  • Microsoft Brings Copilot AI Into Viva Engage

    Microsoft 365 Copilot in Viva Engage is now generally available, extending Copilot's AI-powered assistant capabilities deeper into the Viva platform.

  • MIT Finds Only 1 in 20 AI Investments Translate into ROI

    Despite pouring billions into generative AI technologies, 95 percent of businesses have yet to see any measurable return on investment.

  • Report: Cost, Sustainability Drive DaaS Adoption Beyond Remote Work

    Gartner's 2025 Magic Quadrant for Desktop as a Service reveals that while secure remote access remains a key driver of DaaS adoption, a growing number of deployments now focus on broader efficiency goals.