Netscape turns to Flash animation technology
By Lisa M. Bowman
June 9, 1998 1:37am
ZDNet News
Netscape Communications Corp. is promising glitzier Web sites to users of its Navigator browser and visitors to its Netcenter Web site.
Netscape (NSCP) has struck a deal with Macromedia Inc. (MACR) to both include the latter's Flash animation technology in future browsers and to support more Flash features on Netcenter.
Terms of the agreement weren't disclosed, but Netscape is licensing the technology from Macromedia in exchange for marketing services.
Flash diet for multimedia
Flash is vector-based technology used to create animated images and graphs that don't take up as much bandwidth as other multimedia files such as .gif.
The move comes as Macromedia, rival Adobe Systems Inc. (ADBE) and several other companies scramble to weigh in on the future of Web graphics by pushing their own design technologies.
Just last week, Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) released Web animation software aimed at novice users called Liquid Audio, which recommends using its Internet Explorer browser for the best results.
Through its agreement with Netscape, Macromedia is hoping to promote Flash by targeting the 70 million users of the company's Navigator browser. It's also hoping to sell more Flash development tools by promising developers a bigger audience.
That's because Navigator and Communicator users will be able to view Flash-enhanced sites without first going to get a plug-in, starting with the release of Navigator 5.x this summer.
IE users still need plug-in
Users of Microsoft's Internet Explorer still must get the plug-in before viewing a Flash site, but Ben Dillon, director of product management for Flash, said the Netscape agreement doesn't preclude a similar deal with Microsoft.
"We'd like to have that. We're kind of neutral -- we're like Switzerland," he said.
Netscape said the inclusion of Flash technology will lead to more lively graphs, charts, buttons, and animated icons on its Netcenter site, which the company is hoping to make a major portal on the Web.
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