Looks like it’s the end of the line for the Netscape web browser. Security patches for the latest version will continue to be released until February 1, 2008. After that, there will be no more product support for Navigator 9 or any previous version. What’s interesting to note is that, the Netscape engineering team even tried to create a skinned version of FireFox with a few extensions installed, and even that didn’t help them gain any market share. It’s been a very long time since I used Netscape Navigator but for the longest time, it was the preferred browser of choice for my mom, mostly because of Composer.

Honestly, I think what Netscape is doing makes complete sense. Stop wasting time with Navigator and invest those engineering dollars into the Mozilla foundation. Now Netscape can focus on other things such as Propeller.

At any rate, R.I.P. Netscape Navigator.

AOL’s focus on transitioning to an ad-supported web business leaves little room for the size of investment needed to get the Netscape browser to a point many of its fans expect it to be. Given AOL’s current business focus and the success the Mozilla Foundation has had in developing critically-acclaimed products, we feel it’s the right time to end development of Netscape branded browsers, hand the reins fully to Mozilla and encourage Netscape users to adopt Firefox.

Click here to read Netscape’s death certificate. Also read the comments that go along with the article, for once, there is an interesting conversation that takes place.