Netscape: New Browser Beta Near

By Loath March 20, 2000 3:40 PM

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Netscape announced Monday that Navigator 6 is expected to be available in a beta version within in the next 25 days.?It will be powered by Gecko, an open source layout engine that is smaller in file size than previous versions and is designed to load pages faster.?It can also be used within set-top boxes and wireless devices, and is a key component to parent company America Online's "AOL Anywhere" strategy, the company said.?Netscape Navigator has long been competing with Microsoft in what has been deemed the "browser wars." Netscape's last major update, Navigator 4.5, was released in October of 1998, and the firm had planned to release version 5.0 in early 1999.?After AOL's acquisition of Netscape in November 1998, there have been no substantial upgrades to Netscape's browsers.?The slowdown in competition among the browser leaders has led to less-than-expected improvements upon subsequent updates, according to Dave Garaffa, editor of BrowserWatch.

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