AOL launches advanced Netscape browser

By Derek Caney

NEW YORK: America Online, the Internet unit of media behemoth AOL Time Warner Inc. said it plans to launch its new Netscape Web browser on Thursday, marking its latest effort to challenge the dominance of Microsoft Explorer as the standard tool for surfing the Internet. The software, which has been in user tests since May, promises faster and easier navigation of the Web, although surveys show its market share has been dwarfed by Microsoft Corp.

Research firm WebSideStory issued a study that says that Netscape's global usage share has dropped to 3.4 percent, compared with 96 percent held by Microsoft Explorer, a turnaround from the mid-1990s when Netscape was dominant.

AOL bought Netscape in late 1998, months after it had struck a deal to use Explorer in its online service. The latest version of Netscape is aiming for mainstream users such as AOL's 34-million-plus user base rather than the tech-savvy developers that have gravitated toward Netscape.

The company has not yet decided to replace Explorer with Netscape in its new version of AOL set to be launched this fall, Netscape spokesman Marty Gordon said. It is currently being tested in some versions of its service and launched a version of its discount Internet service CompuServe with Netscape technology. "We've been testing the browser and it's been gaining great momentum," he said. "We feel we have the wind in our sales. Netscape is alive as well."

Netscape's battle with Explorer has been an uphill one. "The browser war is in fact a massacre," said Geoff Johnston, vice president of product marketing for WebSideStory's StatMarket. The newest versions of Netscape have failed to win over users so far."

AOL counts 52 million registered users for Netscape, compared with Explorer. Microsoft was not immediately available for comment. Last year, a U.S. Court of Appeals upheld a trial court ruling that Microsoft violated antitrust law by commingling its Explorer technology with its Windows operating system in an effort to fend off competition by Netscape.

Microsoft has since said that upcoming updates of its operating system will allow computer makers and consumers to add and remove access to features like Explorer and others, in an effort to comply with a settlement of the antitrust case.

© Reuters