Netscape Combines Browser Features

NEW YORK (AP) _ The newest Netscape browser combines the best features from Microsoft Corp.'s Internet Explorer and the Mozilla Foundation's Firefox but no longer tries to commandeer all search

Thursday, May 19th 2005, 2:09 pm

By: News On 6

NEW YORK (AP) _ The newest Netscape browser combines the best features from Microsoft Corp.'s Internet Explorer and the Mozilla Foundation's Firefox but no longer tries to commandeer all search traffic to its own engine.

America Online Inc.'s Netscape 8.0 now uses Google as the default search engine. A test version of the free browser had used the Netscape engine.

Out Thursday, Netscape 8.0 also lets users choose AskJeeves, and AOL says it is in talks with Yahoo as well.

Netscape also switches the placement of the boxes into which users type in search terms and Web addresses. Recognizing the growing use of search for navigation, the search box now has the more prominent spot on the left.

IE remains the dominant browser, but many users complain of its numerous security vulnerabilities and lack of modern features like tabbed browsing, which lets you visit multiple Web sites without opening multiple browser windows.

Firefox addresses those issues, but some sites won't work because they're tailored for IE. The new Netscape, which is only available for Windows PCs, addresses that quandary.

It displays most sites using a Firefox engine that's embedded in Netscape's software. But, when it deems a site relatively safe, it uses the IE software engine that is built into Windows.