UPDATE:
11/15/00 6pEST: If you currently use Netscape 4 heavily, you might want to keep that version for a while (don't uninstall it yet), until you're fully comfortable with NS6. (FYI, NS6 does NOT remove NS4 during upgrade - nice) At least on my computer, NS6 refuses to start a few times, perhaps conflicting with some Microsoft wares (Office/IE/OE etc).

NOTE: This epinion should be under Netscape 6 (Final) category, but, until epinions.com adds that category (or approves my request), this one will have to sit here... ;-(

It's been a while since I last wrote a posting on epinions.com, but since I did wrote a piece on Netscape 6 PR1 a day after release date last time, I'm continuing the tradition -- this time, also a day after Netscape 6 Final had officially been released by AOL/Netscape. I had been wanting to post more epinions all these months, but somehow had never gotten to finish any of them to my satisfaction -- been busy with work etc.

I'm not going to lay out an extensive third party review of Netscape 6 though. For such editorial or press commentary, I'd recommend an epinion by misterME (http://webpod.epinions.com/cmd-review-721E-161853EF-3A11B961-prod2 ) or professional articles on tech sites like CNET, ZDnet, TechTV, TechWeb, ie. http://cnet.com/internet/0-3779-8-3607741-1.html

So, what am I going to talk about? Not much considering that I've only used it for just a few hours. Just my quick observation as an active web surfer, who mostly uses IE5, but sometimes utilizes Netscape 4+ especially for its Messenger (an excellent IMAP/POP mail client). BTW, I'm also a browser add-ons fan.

Popular issues:

1. Hot debates
Just like the heat of undecided presidential 2000 election outcome, the question amidst Netscape 6 release is which one will users "vote for" now: Netscape 6 or IE5.5?
Netscape, once used by 90% of web users, now holds no more than 20% of browser market share. Will improvements in Netscape 6 attract IE users at all? Some numbers: over 3-million beta versions of Netscape 6 have been downloaded, and yesterday alone, Cnet.com records half a million download of the final version. Not bad for Netscape to "win popular vote." I "heard" that Netscape's praised for its standards-compliant, ideal browser for web developer...

2. Download, Install and StartUp.
Like IE5, Netscape also provides a small downloader program (241K). This NetZip-powered "smart-download" client tackles some downloading issues with its resume and queue (of multiple small parts) feature. Installation is simple and fast. For some reason, Netscape6 won't start when I first click it, but rebooting Windows solve the problem. When starting, I experienced another hiccup, perhaps an isolated one - "Activating..." window seems to stall, so I had to click on the "X" to kill it. Then, Netscape (Navigator) window finally appeared. Awesome - nice design, more modern look, but if you miss the old look, you can indeed switch the layout back to Netscape4's. Or even switch the layout to any skins/theme you prefer, downloadable from the web. Even better, create your own theme! Cool feature that's initially popularized by WinAmp (or NeoPlanet for web browser).

3. Speed and Stability
Netscape 6 seems improved in this area over its predecessors, Netscape 4.7 or PR/beta version. The buzzword is Gecko technology, AOL latest vision in promoting better future for Internet appliance. Still seems slow compared to IE5 though. But I like the fact unlike IE/Explorer windows, Netscape (since version 1.0) windows don't take control of the screen (putting itself on the front) while loading. That way, I can load multiple pages without interrupting my current page.

4. Features
Tons of new features brought into Netscape 6. Netscape.com site details each of them.

The best thing I like about My Sidebar is ability to display Alexa-powered "Related Sites" instead of having to pull-down a menu as in Netscape4. For those who don't know, Alexa has a similar add-on for IE (since version 4). But it may take a while before Alexa Sidebar for Netscape can match versatility of latest Alexa for IE. Still My SideBar satisfies the need to match IE long useful feature (for search and other add-ons). But the fact that it's much easier to develop your own custom sidebar, Netscape seems much better that IE on this.

Another long-awaited feature is password manager and form-filling similar to IE. This eliminate requirement for browser accessory like Gator. BTW, Gator at this time doesn't fully support Netscape 6.

Netscape also features better privacy management with nicer cookies control.

BONUS: There's also a link to translate your web pages to other languages.

However, you'll have to sacrifice some comfort with browser accessory when switching to new browsing platform. For instance, portal add-ons like Yahoo! Companion still doesn't support Netscape 6.

5. Ease of Use
Overall, it's pretty much similar to its previous versions. Some features may cut time and match ease of use of IE. But, looks like, Netscape developer team has a lot to do to improve some noticeable problems with its GUI. Some common user intuitions are not 100% considered. For instance, right-clicking on URL box or Sidebar tabs doesn't give you an expected pull-down menu, i.e. for copy/paste/remove. Another example: Netscape Mail doesn't highlight folders containing subfolders with unread message - since I utilize automatic email filter, I'm forced to expand all folders in order to determine which folder have unread new mails.

6. Bugs?
Any new release of software can't be 100% bug-free. Here's one I've just discovered. Netscape 6 can't differentiate http request port, ie. either port 80 (standard http) or for instance 8080. Or more like it uses the first loaded port request for subsequent requests. Hmm... pretty complicated. Let me put it this way: Let say there's two different web server utilizing the same domain name, one using port 80, ie. http://sample-domain.com/, and the other http://sample-domain.com:8080. Both URL serves different content/web page. Say you initially load http://sample-domain.com:8080/some_file. Then, when you tried to load http://sample-domain.com/some_other_file, turns out that you're getting page at http://sample-domain.com:8080/some_other_file instead. Duh!

Verdict:
If you use Netscape 4, Netscape 6 can reduce your boredom with tired look of Netscape 4. You'll love its speed. You'll be enchanted with its new promising features, but you may not like how it behaves 100%, at least for this release. Future bugs fixes and improvement in near dates may invalidate this. For IE loyalists, feel free to stick with IE. But, it'll be interesting to play with something new, that's not built-in to your Windows.

I'll stop now before I decide not to post this one like my previous writings. I'll add some more commentary once I evaluate Netscape 6 for Mac on my extremely expensive strawberry bedroom DVD machine. (No! I love my Mac, but I just don't use that much lately)

FINAL NOTE:
Yes, I'm writing this while surfing for related information on Netscape 6 that I had just installed hours ago.



Recommended: Yes