Netscape releases Navigator 6.2

AOL Time Warner's Netscape Communications division is the latest to jump on the Windows XP publicity bandwagon with the release of an upgrade to its Navigator browser, version 6.2. The company is touting better integration with Windows XP for the new browser, which includes several new features and minor tweaks.

When XP users set Netscape as their default email application and browser, they can view the number of new email messages in the Windows XP startup screen. Netscape Mail can also now embed itself in XP's contextual right-click menus, so that it can be used to email attachments without the need to first open the application.

The browser also features improved Quick Launch for Windows, a tweaked "autocomplete" feature, an improved download manager and an address book. The software is more stable, and includes new features for enterprise users, such as Simple MAPI support.

The browser is available for a number of platforms, including Linux and Macintosh OS X.

Netscape, once the dominant browser company, is one of several competitors continuing to challenge the ubiquity of Microsoft's Internet Explorer. With most users employing IE as their browser, however, many Web sites no longer bother to ensure they are compatible with other software, leaving Netscape users in the lurch.

Navigator is based on a long-running open-source project called Mozilla. The current Navigator browser is based on version 0.9.4. When Mozilla reaches its 1.0 release it is due to be included as the default browser in some Linux installations, including Red Hat Linux.

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