Quantcast
Subscribe to magazine

Netscape 6: Faster, Better Looking

Revamped engine and user interface may spell a better browser--but is it too little, too late?

Yael Li-Ron, special to PCWorld.com

  • 0 Yes
  • 0 No

Performance, Usability Gripes

Although Netscape 6 is more attractive than its predecessors, the user interface could use refinement. For example, the Home button has been relegated to the secondary Personal Toolbar, a potential problem for people who wish to hide that toolbar. (You can hit Alt-Home to reach your home page if you've disabled the secondary toolbar.) And there's very little you can do with the right mouse button: No customization options pop up when you right-click any object in the browser interface (other than on the Web page itself, and on the top of the window frame where right-clicking has always been enabled). Oddly, right clicking also works in the Bookmark manager.

Another grievance: When you visit a site that requires a plug-in, you're sent to a list of plug-ins without a direction as to which plug-in you need to download and install.

This cross-platform release runs on Windows 95 or later, Mac OS, and Linux. It requires 64MB of RAM and at least a 133-MHz Pentium.

Overall, I liked the speed at which pages loaded, but disliked the fact that Netscape takes forever to load, and I especially disliked the user interface. While Netscape 6 sports some great features, you should probably stick with Netscape 4.7 for now.

  • Recommend this story?
  • 0 Yes
    0 No

Featured APC Accessories

  • APC Back-UPS ES Safeguards your equipment from damaging surges and spikes that travel along your utility & data lines.
  • APC SurgeArrest Performance Highest level of protection for your professional computers, electronics and connected devices, as well as provides surge protection.

Deal Breakers

Special Offers for PC World Users

People who read this also read:

  • 15 Minutes to a Secure Business Get the Secure in 15 toolkit starting with the "15 Minutes Month-at-a-Glance" calendar. McAfee will send you additional tools and tricks to stay protected around the clock.
  • A Buyer's Guide to Data Protection Implementing data protection products and processes can be daunting. Make the right decisions by exploring what is available and what makes sense for your organization. Use this simple guide to evaluate different vendor offerings.

Sponsored Links