Firefox-Based Netscape?

This first look at the Firefox based Netscape browser got me thinking on a number of levels. First off, since the Mozilla browser was initially a Netscape product in the first place, it just goes to prove that releasing your goodies into the wilds of open Source can really help ya out down the road.

Second, if the new Netscape browser is ‘basically’ Firefox with a different wrapper, why use it at all? Would it not make equal sense to just use the Firefox browser?

The Netscape Browser prototype is based on Mozilla Firefox 0.9.3. Netscape are very careful to use the term ‘prototype’ as opposed to ‘beta’ but the FAQ for the release suggests that they anticipate a shipping product based on the technology to launch in 2005. On Windows XP (the prototype is available for Windows 98, ME, NT4, 2000 and XP), the user-agent string is ‘Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.7) Gecko/20041122 Firefox/0.5.6+’. We’re not sure where they got the ‘0.5.6+’ from or why ‘Netscape’ isn’t included.

The installer is a pretty standard affair based on the Nullsoft Scriptable Install System. By default the browser installs to C:\Program Files\Netscape\Netscape Browser or the localised equivalent. During the installation, a US ZIP code is requested to allow Netscape to provide local weather information (more on that later). This UK-based correspondent entered the only US ZIP code he knows, 90210.