Netscape wins one month from executioner

in brief AOL has extended support for its Netscape browser by a month, to 1 March.

AOL first announced in December it was ending support for the once-popular browser on 1 February, saying the investment necessary to get the software to the standard fans expected did not fit within AOL's new focus as a Web-based business.

In addition to extending the support period, AOL plans to release an update for Netscape Navigator 9 via the browser update feature which is aimed at smoothing over the transition between Netscape and suggested alternatives.

AOL is also putting forward Flock -- a Web browser, built on Mozilla's Firefox codebase, which can deliver friends, feeds, sites and media in one view -- as one such alternative.

Meanwhile, Netscape users who can't bear to leave the browser behind can reskin Firefox with a Netscape look.

Suzanne Tindal from ZDNet.com.au contributed to this article