Netscape 8 First Impressions

Dennis,

It's good to listen to all opinions. I wanted to comment on this part of your last post:

What you are doing in the sidebar can be done with Tabs. Take a look at my Firefox browser Toolbars below. You will see that my Personal Toolbar contains ALL my Bookmarks organized into folders and subfolders. The next Toolbar is my Tab Group, which I use everyday, containing all the Tech Forums, etc.

My Home Page is a Blank Page, then I click on the Tabs folder, and select: "Open in Tabs ", and my 9 most used Tabs open for me.

FWIW...

 

The Morning After ...

Hi Ramona, Eck, James, Cap'n, et al ...

I certainly didn't mean to get on a soapbox last evening, and if I seemed overly strident, I apologize.

So far as nostalgia for the old Netscape goes, I used Navigator 3.x through Communicator 4.78 for six years, as I recall, but Netscape 6.x and 7.x turned me off, which is when I migrated to Phoenix (later Firebird, now Firefox). I'm nostalgic about my 1956 Chevy, too, but I like my 2002 Toyota much better. Ever the experimenter, I'm always trying new things to make my computing life better (or at least more interesting ), but I think I'll pass on Netscape 8.x, if only because of the AOHell involvement. Besides, Firefox does it all so well, and I have it configured just the way I want it.

I well remember the ol' Netscape throbber, but don't even use one in Firefox ... I removed it by customizing the Toolbar. I found that it served no useful purpose (for me), as Firefox already provides a progress meter. I do use the throbber in Thunderbird, though, as a handy way to open a FF window if I don't already have one open.

Re: the Bookmarks sidebar. At last count, I have 594 bookmarks in 42 folders and subfolders, and only slightly over half of the folders are visible in the sidebar at any time ... but they can all be displayed on the Bookmarks menu (I use a 1280x1024 display). I grant you that there are duplications and, probably, many dead links that need to be weeded out, but there are only so many hours in the day. And, I don't want my bookmarks alphabetized, but either way is easy to do.

As does Ramona, I use a blank page as my home page, and then open tabs from my bookmarks. She was lamenting the fact, in another thread, that her active tab isn't highlighted. There may be an extension which will actually do this, but Tabbrowser Extensions provides a viable alternative. Not only does it provide a closebox on each tab (something I consider essential), but the closeboxes can be colored red and blue, with red designating the active tab (see screenshot).

So, if you're looking for an alternative to IE, by all means try Netscape 8.x, but I've already found my alternative, and it's called Firefox!

Edit: Replaced bad screenshot.

 

but I think I'll pass on Netscape 8.x, if only because of the AOHell involvement.

JSS3rd

Can you please give me a bit more info on the AOHell bit.

I ask because I was thinking about trying MS8.

BillyBob

 

Netscape Communications is a division of AOL Time Warner. Personally, I want nothing to do with AOL.

You might be interested in what PC World has to say about Netscape 8.x.

 

Thanks Jim.

I had forgetten the AOL & TW are connected.

BTW. I am doing somehting that I USUALLY NOT DO.

I usually go for broke instead of asking questions first.

I just discovered something this AM. So I need to start asking question. ( HERE AT HOME )

How did AOL get on one of my machines ? The one that the Nieces and Nephews use for AIM.

I can already guess the answer. " I don't know "

Thanks for the Link.

BillyBob

 

Really appreciate the functionality of this extension. You can have "tabs" establish a parent/child color map of all open tabs. The "X" close per tab is nice .. but one of my favorite features is the "Switch active tab with pointing ". Just move your cursor over each tabs, they jump to screen (speed adjustable).

 

I did it. It's here.

I successfully got the link to my system email onto the personal toolbar.

I successfully got the security settings to use Firefox rendering as the default, but left on the Netscape Trust checking. I suppose letting it remove Java stuff from known unsecure websites is stupid to turn off.

I setup my bookmarks my old way. (Works fine for me.) I had exported the Firefox bookmarks before uninstalling my profile and Netscape imported them the same as Firefox used to.

I played with Tabs for a little while but it just didn't seem like something I'd want there all the time. When I leave a site, I want it gone. I know how to get back to it. So I set everything to overwrite current tab and open in new window. I think anything I need is a click or so away without having it all spread out there.

I would even close the whole personal, local, news toolbar section, as I had in Firefox, if that was an option here. (Doesn't seem to be.)

I was given no choice about any additional software (I used the full install), and do have WeatherBug as a permanent part of the toolbar. Eh? Not too bad. I guess I don't mind seeing the temperature. But I could have lived without it.

Since the Search window appears to be permanent as well, I'm going to see one of the threads here about adding Yahoo to it. I'm not sure that'll work with this browser (it is, after all, a hybrid). I'd just rather have access to the engine I use staring me in the face all day than one I don't normally use.

Thunderbird seems to work flawlessly with it, as far as clicking a link in an email opening a Netscape window and bringing me here. (It worked!)

I did fully remove Firefox first. Lots of folks enjoy all the browsers installed but I figure that if Firefox is rendering just about everything, then I've already got Firefox and don't need another one.

I made sure to save and copy over the contents of the Firefox Plugins and
Components folders. When it asked me to overwrite something that Netscape already had I said no.

Everything seems all speedy and functional so far. I tested my plugins and Java and it all works fine. I even tried some embedded links to WMP and the WMP10 embedded player works fine.

Basically I've got a new Theme and some increased security (the Trusted site checking). Also, the ability to call up the Internet Explorer rendering without copying a link and pasting it into Internet Explorer.

Now to go to the GetRight website and see if they have anything new regarding the new Netscape. I uninstalled GetRight before doing all this, as I didn't want anything to trouble the new installation. But I will want that on here. I'll just wait to see if they need to update the program before I try it. I don't want to mess my downloading up.

I think it looks and works fine! If I want to get really boring I can switch the theme to the Winshade (or whatever they call it).

Oh! One thing. If I click on the Netscape.com link on the Personal Toolbar, it starts to bring up the top of the page but then a Javascript box opens up asking me to update my browser to the latest version, and then the browser loads up the Netscape 8 Download page. However, if I click my bookmark I have of Netscape.com the site opens normally. And I do have 8.01. I checked the version in Help, About, and clicked on Check Now in the Options menu and it says I'm current. And I also have the Update 3 of Java 5 so I'm current there as well. Hmmm.

I also left the installer's default for reporting Usage. What was I thinking? Heh, heh. Anyone know how to turn that off after it's already installed? I guess my reading where it said it kept things anomynous lulled me into it, but I still don't feel right about someone knowing everywhere I go! I always turned that off in Winamp, but even that program has it in the Options to toggle off and on. I couldn't find that in Netscape.

So far, for me, it's like Firefox Plus. I'll see how things go as different stuff comes up.

Edit: Oh, there's no sign of the AOL Media Player. Perhaps the full install doesn't include (thanks!) that thing.

 

Dennis,

Good to hear that you're having a positive experience. I have to say, this browser is really growing on me...

Au contraire, you do have a choice. Right click on the Navigation Toolbar, the one with the back/forward/webmail, tabs. Select: "customize ". Now drag everything you don't want off the toolbar to the open Customize Toolbar window.

If you want to remove the Search Bar, then do this:
Close Netscape, and open Notepad
Add this style:

/* Remove Search bar */

#search-container {
display: none !important;
}

Click on File | Save
Save to the chrome subfolder contained in the salted folder, located here:
C:\Documents and Settings\username\Application Data\Netscape\NSB\Profiles\xxxxxxxx.xxx\chrome

Start Netscape, and your Search Bar will be gone.

This tweak was in the Netscape 8 Newsgroup, and from Sailfish, who gives us the Skypilot Theme.

Ramona

 

I was giving pro's and con's on Netscape 8, Jim. In Firefox, I have added a style to my userChrom.css which highlights the active tab in my color of choice. Thanks though for the information on the extension. There are no extensions for Netscape 8 to date, although they may come later.

Ramona

 

Ramona,

I had read that tip on the Netscape messageboard. Actually, one of the folks who responded mentioned http://mycroft.mozdev.org/download.html#. Like the poster, clicking on a Yahoo link asked if I wanted to include Yahoo search in the sidebar's search. I said yes, but there is no sidebar search as far as I can tell so that did nothing (I hope).

What worked was installing the mycroft top 30 search engines. That brought up the information toolbar saying it blocked an install. I clicked the dropdown and got the box to add mozdev.org to the trusted installation list.

I installed the top 30, and got all of them in the search drop-down. I chose the regular Yahoo. (There's also one for the Canadian Yahoo.) Now, they all install to a new folder in the Netscape Browser folder named "Search Plugins." The ones that were there by default are in the user profile's Search Plugins folder. (But, at least on 98SE, this folder is within the Netscape Browser folder as well!) I tried copying the Yahoo search files to the profile's Search Plugins folder and deleting the rest (I also tried moving them). This didn't work, as I was back to the default engines. So I restored the folder from the Recycle Bin and will just leave them all installed for now.

I moved the Search window from the navigation toolbar to the Personal Toolbar by right clicking the big Search button and choosing Customize. While that window's open you can click on a button and move it between toolbars. This made the url window nice and big. That's better. I also moved the System Mail button from the personal toolbar to the navigation toolbar. This way I can close the personal toolbar (From the View-Toolbars dropdown) and have a larger website displayed. If I want to see how hot it is outside I can bring it back up.

I'm wondering whether that try at installing the mycroft Yahoo sidebar thing changed anything about the sidebar. I'm wondering because I no longer have a little button on the right top of the sidebar to close the sidebar. I'm hitting F9 to close it. I do have the usual bar on the right edge of it to either resize it or, by hitting the center, mimimize it to the left of the display. Did that thing install the old Mozilla sidebar on me? Where did that little close button disappear to? I can't believe I've already corrupted something!

Like I said, the way I've set it up, this thing is basically Firefox with a Netscape skin. I kind of like it though! (Just hope I didn't break something.)

Edit: Oh, I was looking at the Default Profile folder. I'll bet if I copied the Yahoo search files (2 files) to my profile's folder (duh!) that would have worked. I think I'll just leave 'em all. Maybe I'll someday have use for some of them.

Edit 2: Alright. I copied the Yahoo files to my profile's Search Plugins folder and moved the one mycroft installed to My Documents so I can burn them all to a cdr. That folder isn't supposed to be there anyway, and I sure didn't need 35 search engines in the drop-down. Then I put the Search button back on the navigation toolbar where it can do some good. I'll leave the Personal Toolbar hidden.

All working well, except for whatever I did that changed the sidebar. The weather sidebar lists 3 cities I don't want and the little button that should let me change the cities tries to load a link but fizzles out. The Zipcode search for it works by loading the right city, but I can't change it in the sidebar. The weather button on the Personal Toolbar works fine. I just unchecked the Weather Tab so I just have Bookmarks and History as tabs. I wish I knew what happened to the exit sidebar button.

Edit: Ah Hah! I must have the Personal Toolbar open to get the extra open/close sidebar goodies. I read the Netscape website's help file about the sidebar. I don't have the X icon to close it, but that was perhaps in the beta version and not in the final. Anyhow, it looks like it's the way it's supposed to be. I'll just hit F9 to close it.

 

Why I'm returning to Firefox

After a couple of days with NS 8, I've decided to consign it to secondary status (I'm not removing it because I still enjoy using it and recognize its unique advantages). There really are two reasons for this:

- cookie management - I find that after a session with NS 8, I have far too many cookies on my system that I don't want there. To "clear my tracks" so to speak would also mean that I would lose those cookies I want and since NS 8 does not give me the opportunity to mark exceptions to clearing the cookies after a session, I'm stuck with having to do this manually.

- extensions (or lack thereof) - Obviously it's too new to have any and I greatly miss Ad-block. I recognize that these will come in time but for the here-and-now they're lacking.

So... it's back to Firefox for me. I'll use NS 8 at least once a day (so I'm not faced with a great deal of cookie clean-out work) and because I enjoy messing about with it.

These are simply my own impressions. By the way: I REALLY like the Fusion skin. I find it really cool. I guess it goes to show that we all have different ideas when it comes to beauty and functionality.

 

In just over 24 hours my impression of NS 8 has been removed from the " useless " list to " Seems to be quite good list "

But I had to FIGHT with it and most of all PAY ATTENTION when it told me I needed Quicktime. I installed same as instructed and Lo-N-Behold. a BIG difference. It works properly now.

I realy see no difference from any other software. It has to be installed and ADJUSTED to suit both the OS and the machine it is installed on.

And it seems to be making itself better as usage contimues.

In fact I am on it right now.

BillyBob

 

Something that is going to be very useful, is the ability to use the Windows Update Catalog without having to use IE. Way to go Netscape!

 

LOL... good one, Ramona!