General
Installation
Components
General
What is Netscape 6?
Netscape 6 is the latest Internet browsing, mail, and instant messaging software
from Netscape. The Netscape 6 Preview Release is an early version for you to
preview.
What's new in Netscape 6?
My Sidebar, powerful searching, integrated instant messaging, standards support,
small download size, and more. See the datasheet for details.
How is Netscape 6 related to the open source development at mozilla.org?
Netscape 6 is based on the Mozilla browser, and takes advantage of the talents
and achievements of a worldwide group of open source developers.
What is Gecko?
Netscape 6 is based on Netscape Gecko, a new, fully standards-compliant layout
engine. The layout engine is at the heart of a browser -- it is the software that
controls how a web page appears on your screen. Since the beginning of the Web,
industry groups and web site developers have clamored for a browser that supports
all the currently accepted standards for web content. Netscape 6 delivers the
browser that everyone's been asking for. To people surfing the Web, this means that
web pages will look better, and that you can view all the latest eye-pleasing special
effects, graphics, and styles that web developers put into their sites.
What platforms does Netscape 6 support? (What are the computer/software requirements for Netscape 6?)
You can run the Netscape 6 Preview Release on computers with Windows, Mac
OS, and Linux operating systems. See the datasheet for details.
Can I run both Netscape 6 and an earlier Communicator or Navigator version simultaneously?
Yes. You can download, install, and preview the Netscape 6 Preview Release
without disturbing other versions of Netscape software on your computer.
How can I get help with Netscape 6?
Once you've installed and launched the Netscape 6 Preview Release, open the
Help menu and choose Help. A web page appears, listing help documents covering
a variety of topics.
What happened to Communicator 5.0?
Netscape 5.0 was based on the 4.x code base that Netscape released in 1998.
Netscape also released the beginnings of Netscape Gecko -- a new code base -- at
about the same time. Soon the Web was clamoring for Gecko's superior
performance and standards support. So, about a year ago, Netscape switched code
bases and rewrote the new software based on Gecko, canceling 5.0 (Mozilla
classic) in favor of Netscape 6.
How can I submit my own question for the FAQ?
Users of Netscape 6 can at any time open the Help menu and choose Feedback
Center to fill out a comment form. We receive too much mail to answer questions
individually, but we will update this FAQ with the most frequently asked questions.
How can I provide feedback about Netscape 6?
Users of Netscape 6 can at any time open the Help menu and choose
Feedback Center to fill out a Feedback form. We receive too much mail to
answer feedback individually.
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Installation
How do I get Netscape 6?
To download and install a copy of Netscape 6 on your
computer, go to the download page and click Netscape 6 Preview Release. The
Netscape 6 installer will be downloaded to your computer. To run it, find the
installer file and double click it. Follow the instructions in the installer. For more
information on installation read the installer's Read Me file.
Will installing Netscape 6 delete my user profile and preferences?
No. Your user profile and preferences will still work with your earlier version of
Netscape Communicator or Navigator.
Will my bookmarks and other preferences be copied to Netscape 6?
Yes. When you first start Netscape 6, you'll see "profile migration" screens that
allow you to copy your profile and preferences from your earlier Communicator
or Navigator version to Netscape 6.
Can I use SmartUpdate to install Netscape 6?
No. From the SmartUpdate page, you will be directed to the main download
page for Netscape 6.
Can I perform a "custom" install to install only the components I want?
Yes. The installer presents a Setup Type window, where you can choose a
typical, complete, Navigator only, or custom installation. Choose custom; then
choose the components you wish to install in the Select Components window.
The installer downloads only the components you choose.
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Components
What components are part of Netscape 6?
The Navigator browser, Netscape Mail, Netscape Instant Messenger, and
Netscape Composer.
What is Netscape Navigator?
Netscape Navigator is a web browser -- a software program used to locate,
access, and view pages and files on the World Wide Web. The Netscape 6
version of Navigator is the most customizable, convenient, and connected
browser available. It is very lean, taking up less space on your hard disk space
and downloading faster than ever, even over a modem. Netscape Navigator
includes My Sidebar for customizing your Internet, one-click searching that's
integrated into the main toolbar (you don't have to go to a separate search
page), the best standards support, and a cleaner design that devotes less space
to buttons and more space to what you want to see.
What is My Sidebar?
My Sidebar is your personal space in the Netscape 6 browser, which you can
use to stay connected to what's most important to you. Put anything you want in
My Sidebar -- choose among and customize hundreds of panels, including
stocks, news, weather, your buddy list, and more. For more help using My
Sidebar, users of Netscape 6 may select Help from the browser menu and
choose Information Center.
What is Netscape Mail?
Netscape Mail is the new Netscape email program. Netscape Mail lets you
conveniently manage all your Internet communications from one place. You can
track multiple email accounts, including business and personal email accounts
and Internet newsgroups, all from one window. In addition, millions of AOL
users can now access their AOL mail accounts from within Netscape Mail.
Integrated instant messaging lets you see when friends and colleagues are online
and instantly communicate with them. My Sidebar keeps you connected to the
information that's most important to you, while you're reading your mail. The
redesigned Netscape Address Book features automatic Email Address
Collection, which instantly stores the email addresses of people you
communicate with.
What is Netscape Instant Messenger?
Netscape 6 is the first Internet software suite that integrates email and instant
messaging within the browser environment. You can keep your Buddy List in
My Sidebar, and simply click a name in the list when you want to send an instant
message, and access your Buddy List from a friend's computer. You can even
see when the sender of an email message is online and send an instant message
rather than replying by email.
Can I send messages to my friends with AOL Instant Messenger?
Yes -- you can communicate with anyone who uses AOL Instant Messenger
(AIM), an online community of over 40 million users.
What is Composer?
Netscape Composer is an HTML editor that lets you create your own
standards-compliant web documents. You don't have to know HTML to use
Composer; with Composer you can create Web documents as easily as you use
a word processor. Toolbar buttons let you add lists, tables, images, links to
other pages, colors, and font styles. You can see what your document will look
like on the Web as you create it, and easily share your document with other
users, no matter what type of browser or email program they use.
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