Netscape 6.x

Netscape 6.x is a version of Netscape, which was released on 14 November 2000 as a successor to Netscape Communicator 4.x. This version is a complete revamp of the Netscape suite, as it is now based on the Mozilla project, which in turn used the published source code of Netscape Communicator 4.x. All applications of the suite gained a major redesign by introducing a new theme called "Modern" and integrating AOL services such as AIM or Net2Phone. However, the user was still able to switch back to the "Classic" theme from Netscape Communicator 4.x. The Sun Java 2 Runtime Environment is also included.

It also switched from InstallShield to the in-house GRE Setup engine, which was also used by the Mozilla Application Suite and Firefox 1.x.

History
The first pre-release was released in early 2000, where it used a placeholder theme, which has a notable different look compared to the final Modern theme in that it had a more flat appearance. It also introduces activation, though it does not work anymore, as the activation server have been shut down long ago.

Preview Release 2 from August 2000 added the Gecko compile date to the user agent.

Starting with Preview Release 3, the Modern theme made more use of three-dimensional aspects, which would made it into the final release of Netscape 6.0.

Version 6.1 removed the background from setup, introduced an updated Modern theme and removed the RSA Data Security and Full Circle TalkBack copyrights from the About page.

The pre-releases are timebombed, though Netscape will only notify to download a newer version if the timebomb is triggered.

Reception
Netscape 6 was seen as a failed reaction to Internet Explorer 4 and 5, with it being criticized for its blown-up by the included applications and its instability. Even though versions 6.1 and 6.2 adressed many of the stability problems, it still performed worse on slower machines and was not so popular than expected, with many users staying on Netscape Communicator 4.x or even switching to Internet Explorer.

Gallery
 Netscape60PR1.png|Netscape 6.0 Preview Release 1 Netscape60PR2.png|Netscape 6.0 Preview Release 2 Netscape60PR3.png|Netscape 6.0 Preview Release 3 Netscape60.png|Netscape 6.0 Netscape61.png|Netscape 6.1 Netscape62.png|Netscape 6.2 (Mac OS 9) 