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WSJ: Netscape Upgrades Browser In Battle With Microsoft
From Monday's Wall Street Journal
By Kara Swisher
NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--Netscape Communications Corp. will officially introduce a new version of its Internet browser software Monday in its continuing bid to keep a lead over Microsoft Corp.'s Internet Explorer.
The Communicator 4.5 suite, which includes the Navigator browser, will include a range of new features and have tighter links to its Web site and will also integrate audio and video technology from RealNetworks Inc. into the product.
The Mountain View, Calif., Internet company has been struggling to keep its dominant market share from incursions by Microsoft's Internet Explorer, including a move to offer it for free earlier this year. The company also has focused on building up its Netcenter Web site - which is the default setting for Navigator browser users - as a major central destination point on the World Wide Web.
Netscape has been attempting to seamlessly link the software and the site with tools such as "smart" browsing, updated software and more robust e-mail. In addition, the company said it has made the software more compatible with Microsoft's dominant Windows operating system.
"We have been trying to eliminate all obstacles to installation and to make the browser easier to use for everyone," said Mike Homer, general manager of Netcenter, which includes the browser division. "And this is the first version to be fully integrated in with our Web efforts."
Homer said the next version of Netscape's Internet navigation software - 5.0 - will be available in the first quarter of next year and in its final form in the second quarter. He said it will be even more closely linked into Netscape's Web site, require less space on a computer's hard drive and contain improvements made by outside developers.
Earlier this year, the company released the source code of the browser in order to allow anyone to improve on it with the agreement that Netscape could integrate those features into future products.
The link with Seattle-based RealNetworks - which has itself been battling Microsoft in the Internet multimedia market - will embed its RealPlayer into Netscape's browser. This means that users won't have to separately download and install the software that allows sound and video to be played over the Web.
The Netscape deal is part of an aggressive effort by RealNetworks to widely distribute its software through partnerships with major companies. Over the past month, RealNetworks has announced strategic distribution agreements to license its software to International Business Machines Corp.'s Lotus networking software division and America Online Inc., the
dominant online service.
(END) DOW JONES NEWS 10-18-98
09:33 PM
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