[ Thanks to George
Mitchell for this link. ]
“Microsoft is readying the final version of IE 5.5 as
America Online unit Netscape Communications tests version 6.0 of
its competing browser. That numbering, however, may be
confusing; Netscape’s new browser, rebuilt from the ground up, has
been in development so long that the company skipped the “5.0”
designation altogether.”
“Formerly known as “Communicator,” Netscape 6.0 is scheduled for
a second beta release in late August and a final “gold master”
version in the late fall, AOL said today. AOL acquired Netscape in
March of last year. AOL scotched the name “Communicator” for
browser versions 6.0 and above, citing greater consumer recognition
of the name “Netscape.”
“With the new browser, Netscape catches up to Microsoft in some
crucial respects. Like second-rung browser maker Opera Software,
Netscape redesigned the version from scratch to provide a browser
separable into discrete components, or modules. Microsoft’s browser
has long had that modular structure.”