A new version of the Netscape browser, the early leader in the internet field, was launched on Thursday with new updates aimed at fighting viruses, spyware and other security problems.
Netscape, which is owned by the America Online unit of Time Warner, takes a page from the growing Firefox browser, with which it shares many technical origins.
The Netscape 8.0 browser ”automatically adjusts safety and security settings to help protect users as they explore the web”, an AOL statement said.
AOL, which acquired Netscape after the founding company lost out to Microsoft in the ”browser wars”, said the latest version of the program ”seamlessly and automatically switches between the rendering engines used by the Firefox and Internet Explorer browsers”.
”Netscape 8.0 is designed for the millions of online users who are searching for a safer and better browser,” said Netscape general manager Jeremy Liew.
”Netscape 8.0 combines the best of all worlds by automatically adjusting browser and security settings based on which sites are likely to be safe and which might be dangerous. By warning users before they visit many potentially dangerous sites, Netscape 8.0 adds an extra layer of protection to a user’s computer.”
AOL said the new browser helps protect against viruses, spyware and other schemes, including ”phishing”, in which users are lured to a fraudulent or ”spoofed” website that looks like a legitimate one in order to steal personal data.
The new Netscape browser ”automatically checks to see if the site is on a constantly updated ‘black list’ of thousands of suspected virus, scam or spyware sites, or a ‘white list’ of more than 150 000 websites that have been certified as legitimate” by security experts.
Netscape, which was once the dominant web browser, now has only about 2% of the United States market, according to a survey this month by the research firm WebSideStory. Microsoft has nearly 89% and Firefox, a product of the non-profit Mozilla Foundation, has nearly 7%. — Sapa-AFP