What does the end of the Netscape Web browser mean for you?
Time Warner's AOL has decided to end development of the Netscape Navigator Web browser after 13 years, and will discontinue support and software update releases for the product after 1 February 2008.
The Netscape team recommends that people currently using Netscape switch instead to Mozilla Firefox.
What does this mean for you?
As a Web developer, chances are that you test new website designs on the most commonly used Web browsers, which in the past may have included Netscape.
The question arises whether you should continue testing on the Netscape Web browser even though development and support for the product will no longer be continued?
Although the majority of people using Netscape will take the Netscape's team's advice and switch to Firefox (or another Web browser such as Internet Explorer), an overall switch will take time, and some people might decide not to change at all. This means that there will still be some people using Netscape for some time to come.
You may therefore find it beneficial to continue testing your website using Netscape, at least for the immediate future. However, you may no longer find it necessary to make any significant updates to your website in the event that compatibility issues with Netscape become apparent.
The end of development of Netscape means that the browser will no longer adapt to changing Web technology, such as the release of HTML 5, and the ongoing move towards websites having an increasing amount of multimedia-rich features. This means that you will eventually need to disregard compatibility issues with Netscape, and instead display a message to Netscape users recommending that they use a different Web browser to ensure they get a good Web browsing experience.
More information
For more information about the closure of the Netscape Web browser, visit the following news article on the Software Industry Professionals website: Netscape to end Web browser support after 13 years.
