Mozilla: Netscape vs. Mozilla

Summary

Mozilla and Netscape are very similar web browsers, and they share a lot of history. However, when choosing between the two, Mozilla should be the clear choice for the following reasons:

• Mozilla does not contain the advertising-related bookmarks, desktop shortcuts, and Start Menu items that come with a Netscape installation
• Mozilla has a new "extensions" system that allows users to add special tools and menus "a la carte," providing unprecedented flexibility and power for those who want it. Netscape does not support these extensions.
• Switching to Mozilla from Netscape is easy and painless since Mozilla will automatically import your Netscape program settings

Introduction

In the world of web browsers, Microsoft's Internet Explorer is unquestionably the most popular. However, about 10% of all web users prefer to use an alternate browser, either to get features not offered by Internet Explorer, such as pop-up blocking, tabbed browsing, and faster page loads, or because they run an operating system that Microsoft does not support, such as Linux. There are many alternate browsers available. On Mac OS, you can choose Safari, OmniWeb, or iCab. Linux users can use Galeon or Konqueror. Opera is a popular browser offered for both Mac and Windows.

But the two most popular non-Internet-Explorer browsers are Netscape and Mozilla. Both offer similar features and are available for every major operating system. Both are free to download. Which one should you choose? For a number of reasons, Mozilla is the better choice of the two. To understand why, it helps to know a little bit of the history of both browsers.

Why Are They So Similar?

If you have used both Netscape and Mozilla, you probably noticed that their interfaces are nearly identical. Except for the logos scattered here and there throughout the menus and information screens, the browsers look and act the same in most ways. The reason for this similarity is that, at their core, they are really the same program.

Back when Netscape decided to develop Netscape version 6, they enlisted the help of the open source community. Open source software is developed by volunteer programmers and distributed for free. One of the most famous and successful examples of open source software is Linux, and entire operating system developed by a community of programmers and available in many versions for no charge. Anybody who wants to can look at the code for an open source program and change it as they see fit. If their changes are useful, they may be incorporated into the "official" version of the program.

Netscape created an open source project called mozilla.org, opening the Netscape browser source code in the process. This way, they were able to enlist the help of a global community of volunteer programmers to help them improve and debug their codebase.

When Netscape released version 6 of their browser, it was nearly identical to the version of Mozilla available at the time, but with a few important differences. Mozilla was a pre-1.0 version, meaning that while it was usable, it was still in testing mode. Netscape had the advantage of a slightly more polished interface, integrated AOL Instant Messenger capability, and support for major plugins like Flash and Quicktime that Mozilla lacked.

As time passed, the Mozilla project continued to improve, adding important features like plugin support and stabilizing their code. In 2002, Mozilla 1.0 was released, and shortly thereafter, Netscape version 7 was released, based heavily on Mozilla version 1.0.1. By this time, the only important differences between the browsers were some proprietary software and Netscape-related icons and bookmarks that Mozilla lacked.

Essentially, Netscape 7 is Mozilla 1.0.1 with a few tweaks to the interface. Any web user who is familiar with one of the two browsers could switch to the other and notice hardly any difference. If the two browsers are so similar, why pick Mozilla over Netscape when Netscape has been around since the early days of the web?

Mozilla is Non-Profit

The typical Windows installation of Netscape will include not only the browser, but a number of desktop shortcuts and Start Menu items advertising for Netscape-branded products and services, especially AOL internet services. Even non-Windows versions of Netscape include some preset bookmarks to websites of advertisers. These "extras" can be annoying, and although they are not difficult to remove, doing so takes several minutes. Mozilla does not contain any commercial advertising. The only icons installed with Mozilla are for the program itself, and the only preset bookmarks are links to information about the Mozilla browser and project. The Mozilla Foundation is non-profit, so they are not trying to sell you anything.

Mozilla Has Features That Netscape Lacks

Mozilla has a revolutionary "extensions" system that lets developers create new and useful tools that run as part of the Mozilla application. These tools are installed "a la carte," meaning that users can install as many or as few extensions as they want. Examples of some popular extensions include:

• Extra features for Tabbed Browsing
• "Mouse Gestures," which allow mouse-only web navigation with a minimum of wrist movement
• Integrated search engines
• Web developer tools that allow web designers to test their pages under many conditions
• Built-in games, calculators, clocks, calendars, and other mini-applications

Netscape has nothing similar to the extension system, and it never will.

Mozilla is Backwards Compatible With Netscape Settings

If you already use Netscape as your web browser, switching to Mozilla is almost as easy as upgrading to a new version of Netscape. Mozilla will import all of your bookmarks and other Netscape profile settings, resulting in a seamless transition from one browser to the other. See Upgrading From Netscape to Mozilla for more information.