Netscape Browser
Netscape Declared Dead
Netscape was the first commercially available web browser, released in 1994. Although it was a commercial software, it also offered a free version that could run on Unix, VMS, Macs, and Microsoft Windows operating systems.
In April 1997, Microsoft began releasing the IE 4.0 series, which was almost universally panned, while Netscape, also at version 4.0, continued to gain momentum. However, Netscape's good times did not last. By the time of Windows 98, Microsoft introduced a winning strategy by bundling IE with Windows 98 for free, and IE gradually improved. Since a browser was provided with the operating system, why buy one separately? Most users thought this way, and as a result, Netscape's user base rapidly shrank, and its market share plummeted. Under the competition from IE, Netscape gradually lost its market share.
Facing the formidable threat from Microsoft, Netscape decided in November 1998 to make the software free and open-source all its program code, focusing mainly on the commercial market. This measure barely had time to be implemented before Netscape was acquired by AOL. In 1998, AOL acquired Netscape for $4.2 billion. In 2003, the Mozilla Foundation separated from Netscape, and its former parent company AOL provided $2 million as a parting gift.
On December 28, 2007: Netscape developers announced that due to low market share, AOL (America Online) would cease development of their web browser on February 1, 2008.
Netscape's development director, Tom Drapeau, wrote: "AOL shifted its focus to advertising network business, resulting in no more funds being allocated for development, causing the Netscape browser to fall short of user expectations."
Further reading: http://blog.netscape.com/2007/12/28/end-of-support-for-netscape
Netscape's Issues
The 4.x series of Netscape browsers had poor support for CSS and did not support XML.
After version 4.0, Netscape took nearly three and a half years to develop its next-generation browser. This delay significantly reduced Netscape's chances of monopolizing the browser market.
Netscape Versions
Netscape Navigator 9 - Released in 2007.
Netscape 8 - Released in 2006.
Netscape 7 - Released in 2002.
Netscape 6 - Released in 2000. Supported CSS and XML.
Netscape 5 - Netscape skipped version 5.
Netscape Communicator 4 - Released in 1997.
Netscape Navigator 3 - Released in 1996.
Netscape Navigator 2 - Released in 1996.
Netscape 1 - Released in 1994.