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Netscape 7.2 To Be Released August 3rd
Following up a story from May, linux2004 writes "for those who thought Netscape was dead after firing all their staff and spinning Mozilla off into a non-profit foundation, then think again. It was announced a while back that Netscape would continue releases of their browser suite and now the release date has been confirmed as August 3rd as a free download or by buying a CD. I don't think it'll take the attention away from Firefox but will be a decent upgrade for those using Netscape 7.1. The 7.2 release will be based on Mozilla 1.7 and will probably have the usual Netscape additions."
You mean like ID gave away the first levels of DOOM and then sold a more advanced version (ie with more levels)?
This is hardly a new model.
--Azaroth
Yes. Most people have never heard of Mozilla but they have used Netscape. It's good that Netscape keeps making releases because it keeps the amount of gecko-based browsers up, which impacts how web designers develop their sites. Most people also don't care about corporate politics or whether a product is free or Free.
Yes, don't try to make money writing someone as general as a web browser. Like OSes, Word Processors, ftp clients, etc they are now commodities (unless you are Microsoft). Go find something someone actually needs and is willing to pay money for and write that.
Finkployd
Firefox is getting so much press now that I'm sure a lot more people know what it is compared to, say, even just a month ago.
While this is very true you forget that most people don't get their news from the online sources that we (those that actually care to stay up on the news and CE) do.
I don't know a single person outside of my more computer literate friends that knows that IE has vulnerabilities or what Firefox is. In fact, a quick check through my webserver logs finds that the just about the only people using FireFox are those that are coming from slashdot URLs.
Corporate execs are more comfortable with a known brand name. Even though Mozilla (and FF, Camino, K-Meleon, etc) are based on the same code, they are not "Netscape". When execs are made aware of the faults and deficiencies of IE, they may think "I wish it was still like the old days, when we could at least choose between IE and Netscape." Lo and behold, here's Netscape 7.2. If you mention Opera or Firefox to them, you'd get blank stares.
Also, some of these execs want an all-in-one solution, not a perceived patchwork of FF+TB+whatever to meet basic internet needs.
Plus, "Mozilla" sounds like something only a geek could love. "Netscape" sounds like a polished product, like the marketing team actually spent more than 5 seconds to think of it. That's important to execs.
Constitutionally Correct