Although very, very few people are using it anymore, there was a time early in the popularization of the Internet when the Web was absolutely dominated by the Netscape browser. So much so that many people didn’t speak of looking at something “on the Internet,” they spoke of looking at something “on Netscape.” It was the kind of name recognition and branding technology companies only dream about today…and, of course, it eventually captured the attention of industry titans like Microsoft, who—through OEM deals, manipulation and neglect of standards processes, and monopolistic abuse of its position in the operating system market—drove Netscape into the ground. Netscape—the company, brand, and browser—were eventually purchased by AOL for some $4.2 billion back in 1998; now, almost ten years later, AOL has announced it will altogether cease support for the Netscape browser as of February 1, 2008.
