Five years ago: Netscape Communicator beta to be first of many

First published 6 January, 1997

Following its tradition of delivering a freely downloadable preview to the public, Netscape posted a beta version of Communicator for Windows 95 and NT before Christmas on its Web site. The browser king continues to warn of downloading difficulties caused by high demand. A spokesman for Netscape said there will probably be six betas before the finished product is available some time in the first quarter. A Macintosh beta of Communicator will be available in February.

Communicator adds a host of features to the revamped Navigator 4.0 Web browser including an e-mail client and groupware elements such as document collaboration and conferencing tools.

The product comes in Standard and Professional editions. The Standard Edition will comprise Netscape Navigator 4.0, Netscape Messenger, Netscape Collabra, Netscape Composer, and Netscape Conference. The Professional Edition has the same features plus Netscape Calendar, Netscape AutoAdmin, and Netscape IBM Host On-Demand.