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Can Netscape take on IE and Firefox?

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Netscape

Paul Festa CNET News.com

Published: 01 Dec 2004 15:35 GMT

In the market for a hybrid engine? Netscape's new Web browser might be just the ticket.

As of Tuesday, Netscape fans were test-driving a prototype Netscape browser that runs on two different browsing engines: the Mozilla Foundation's Gecko engine, which powers up the Mozilla, Firefox and older Netscape browsers; and Microsoft's Internet Explorer engine, which many consider the de facto Web standard.

The prototype's release follows earlier reports that the AOL unit planned a comeback for the Netscape browser and portal, as well as indications that the new browser would include some surprises under the hood.

It also follows a years-long pattern of browser bet-hedging in which AOL has maintained its Netscape browser unit while supporting Microsoft's competing IE browser.

As part of the settlement of its antitrust dispute with Microsoft, AOL renewed its licence to use IE with its proprietary online service. AOL in 2001 briefly considered browsing software that would switch between engines. More recently, AOL said it would build a standalone browser based on IE.

AOL's motivation in resuscitating the Netscape browser comes down to the same reason it acquired Netscape in the first place: the portal. AOL expects to reap revenue from the free browser by directing more people to Netscape.com, just as Microsoft has turned its MSN portal into a Web heavyweight in large part through Internet Explorer.

The ability to let people switch between IE and Gecko could help Netscape capitalise on the success of Firefox. While IE comes preinstalled on the vast majority of computers and many Web sites are written specifically to work with the Microsoft browser, Mozilla-based browsers have won a following as IE has battled chronic security woes.

Microsoft's market share slide
Tallies released last week by Dutch Web traffic analyst OneStat.com showed that IE had dipped below the 90 percent market share mark for the first time in years, confirming a downward trend seen in other surveys released since millions of Web surfers started trying out Firefox. OneStat's survey indicated that Firefox has picked up what market share IE has lost.

Now Netscape has to find a way to differentiate itself both from the IE browser that comes default on nearly all computers and from the Firefox browser that originated at Netscape.

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