Netscape Navigator's history

Years ago when the internet was just a little bitty baby, I always used Netscape Navigator for my browser. Somewhere along the way I switched to IE and lost track of Netscape.
I'm just curious as to what happened to Navigator. Has that evolved into Mozilla or Firefox, or is it still a seperate stand alone browser, and is it still a good browser.
I always hear about Mozilla and Firefox, but never Netscape. While were at it are Mozilla and Firefox also one in the same. I guess I quit paying attention to the browsers some years ago as I've been pretty happy with IE, but I'm thinking maybe I should at least be looking and comparing again.
Thank for answering a rather frivolous question, but inquiring minds need to know.
Floyd

 

It depends on when you went IE all the way. Historically, sometimes in the late 1990's the Microsoft juggernaut took the lead, and now, only a few faithful or stubborn ones have been sticking with alternate browsers.
About the same time AOL purchased Netscape, but did not do much for the development of the new NS6/7, axing the entire Netscape group , eventually.
The name Netscape is still carried on with the browser-only Netscape8, which is a second-hand operation. The Open Source Mozilla did the development, and AOL continued branding the same products. Firefox, also browser only, is the latest development of the Mozilla group, and NS8 is a two-headed monster which should be able to read pages as Firefox or IE.
A lot of people are resentful at AOL, but that is business. I was an AOL user til recently, and, AOL tried to develop a Netscape(Mozilla) based product. They went into beta testing with it, and, with few exceptions, testers were either totally against it, or suggested alternative. I suggested a browser with dual engine, at least two years ago. A Netscape (gecko) engine was used(or is still used) in Macs and the Compuserve, but Netscape at the level of 6.x was not ready to challenge Microsoft, so AOL made a deal.
The idea of Firefox is to have a situation comparable to Internet Explorer, with a standalone mail client (Thunderbird) like Outlook Express.
I hope that you get an idea of what has transpired.

 

Thanks W - could you please just go back thru your text and summarize what company OWNS what now - or is otherwise commercially related? Thanks

 

Mozilla is an independent company which develops Open Source programs (in other words, anyone can use them, and modify them).
AOL owns Netscape, and it is a commercial product, and it has been using modified Mozilla programs. AOL, also, is using the name Netscape, not necessarily in the way that we are used.

 

Thanks - couple of questions:

Who pays Mozilla's phone and coffee bills?

It seems Mozilla and NS are intricately entangled - is that so and maybe tell more, please.

AOL owns Netscape and Netscape name - yet you seem to say there are 2 Netscapes - ?

 

Rob,

Take a look here:

http://sillydog.org/netscape/kb/netscapemozilla.php
http://www.holgermetzger.de/Netscape_History.html

 

Good stuff - thanks!