Netscape Browser 8.0 has no E-Mail Support
Freeware, General Thoughts, New Release, News, Personal Opinions, Web Browsers, Web Stuff May 19th, 2005
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Netscape launches Netscape Browser 8.0
It is unfortunate that browser companies take the false route of fooling customers into believing that the product they are using is outdated or not safe. This happened to me when I went on to Netscape’s website to check out the newly launched Netscape Browser version 8.
The site checked that I was using the uber cool Opera Browser version 8 and claimed that the browser is outdated and I should rather upgrade to the Netscape Browser 8. I think they should be using better tactics to entice user into trying their browsers.
The reasons it said are available at this page… Very typical of the Mozilla people. Of course. Mozilla is not exactly Netscape but the effect is quite visible. Mozilla Developers in the past have claimed that Opera is not a decent enough browser to visit their sites (Visit this page in Opera). The claim has been quashed by the people at Opera.
Anyways… Netscape has finally released the final version of their under development Netscape browser 8.0. And as it is with most other new releases in the market, this one is focused on security as well. They call this browser a hybrid version of a browser with support for both the rendering engines of Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox.
The browser is using the engine of the recent Firefox 1.0.3 release and is expected to be a hit amongst the old loyalists of the Netscape Brand who would have been somewhat disappointed by how the Internet Explorer crushed the market positioning of this once the most popular browser in the world.
Download Netscape Browser 8.0
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About
okay … who wants another version of Firefox?
If one is a Firefox cultist, then be happy and have a log life; but Netscape is far more than a copy of Firefox, and most Firfefox users are sharp enough to know that.
In the past we have experienced problems between Netscape 7.2 and MS XP Pro systems when you loaded SP2. Anybody experienced an issue between SP2 and Netscape 8.01? We don’t worry about compatibility with AOL.
I am using Netscape 8.0.1 with WinXPSP2. I am having no difficulties. I have been using it since the beta. I like the passcards and the individual site security which I can do on the fly.
But- and it is a big but- there is a report that Netscape 8.0.1 can disable XML in such things as Windows Update. I myself have not experienced this yet. And, I just got notices from MS on both of my computers to download Windows Installer 3.1, which I did with no difficulty.
I purchased Netscape 8.0, installed it and lost all E-mail usage. I had ordered the program from Netscape with their official manual and there isn’t a single word in it about setting up your E-mail. I have since completely removed it from my computer and gone back to Netscape 7.2. I wasted my money, what a disappointment.
I downloaded Netscape 8.0, installed it and lost all E-mail usage. I have since stopped using Netscape 8.0 completely and I went back to Netscape 7.2. Is there any plan to permit users of Netscape 7.2 to convert their e-mails to be used with Netscape 8.0? If not, then I will continue to use Netscape 7.2, since I do not want to lose all of my e-mails saved over the years using Netscape 4 and later Netscape 7.
The old Netscape was a suite with a mail component. Is it possible that you were using that component for your email? Because it is not present in Netscape 8. Netscape 8 is a browser only.
I have had the same experience of loading Netscape 8.0 only to find, after the fact, that it no longer has e-mail functionality. As with other users who have commented, I was amazed that release notes and FAQ’s made absolutely no mention of this as if e-mail had never existed. Unbelievable that for long-term users of netscape w/ e-mail no consideration was given to years of accumulated e-mail doc’s. I have sent trouble reports to Netscape re this and have received no response.
without integrated e-mail support Netscape 8.0 isn’t worth using.
I agree with the othre users. Without the e-mail function Netscape 8 is of no use to me as well. I hope the people at Netscape will get the message!!
Thanks for the comments, now I know why I cannot find email on Netscape 8 that I just loaded.
I will certainly remove i; Netscape always comes with email client!
Guess Netscape 8 is not Netscape anymore!
thanks for the warning regarding
no email in version 8.
I will save myself the trouble and stick to 7.2
I have spent some time in downloading, installing and configuring Netscape 8.0 to find out that email is not supported. A waste of my time.
I think Netscape needs to step up and address this problem. Are they going to let all of the loyal users who have come to count on netscape for their email down. If so, I suspect you are going to see a huge drop in netscape usage across the internet. I know, I for one will be looking elsewhere for an all in one internet/email browser.
Re: Bob’s commednt in 18 August-
AOL Time Warner is probably not at all looking back toward the Netscape stalwarts of previous years. AOL-Time Warner is looking at Netscape as a vehicle to attract users toward their Netscape ISP and their commercial “destination” sites. They have a target demographic for this. They are also launching-have launched- a separate browser, the AOL browser, based solely on I.E., aimed at a separate demographic. This is all in line with their attempts to re-organize AOL to compete with Yahoo!.
If you want an integrated suite, you should look to the Mozilla Suite, re-named - at least for now- Seamonkey. Some might direct you to the Firefox/Thunderbird combo.
I never used Netscape as a suite, because I need to use Outlook for email. I do not like Firefox, it is too much like computer camp for techies.
I love Netscape 8 as a browser because of the passcards and the individual site security which I can change on the fly,and the fact that I can choose between the Gecko and I.E. engines at will.
I have zero problems with I.E. I keep my computer up to date and have never had a problem that I did not initiate. I would love to see all of the new features- tabbed browsing, passcards, individual site security- put into I.E.
I think Seamonkey deserves all of the support that it can get. I was a Netscape user prior to Netscape 8, until it became obvious to me that AOL wsas putting out Mozilla iterations after Mozilla had put them out. Mozilla-Seamonkey- would give you everything you want.
I have spent some time in downloading and installing Netscape 8.0 only to find out that email is not supported. A waste of my time.
Re: Harold Darby’c comment of 19th August
Is it just coincidence that your comment is word for word the same as the comment of James Davus on 17th August???
The integrated email client is not present in Netscape 8.0. I will no longer use Netscape.
Just installed Netscape 8.0 and like other people I found it disappointing that there is no email support. I was using 7.1 so now I am going to look for 7.2 to upgrade to and remove 8.0 Wish I had read this page before installing 8.0
Just installed Netscape 8.0 and like other people I found it disappointing that there is no email support. I was using 7.1 so now I am going to look for 7.2 to upgrade to and remove 8.0 Wish I had read this page before installing 8.0
I am very disappointed that Netscape 8.0 does not include email. I have relied on Netscape for safe email for years. I liked the integrated product. It felt a little more polished than Mozilla. Alas, Netscape 8.0 looks very very nice, and I was ready to install it on all of my computers. Now I just see it as a “version behind version of Firefox”. Sorry Netscape, it is just half of the tool I was looking for.
It is not a version behind Firefox. It is current with Firefox, and will stay that way, allowing for the fact that the team needs to do its own compiling and so is a bit delayed. But individual site security on the fly and passcards make it a delight to use. Also, you can use the I.E. engine if you wish, but you never need to.
I have been using Netscape 7 for some time but started experiencing freeze-ups with some of the more “complicated” websites. I don’t seem to have the problem with Netscape 8. Netscape 8 does have a form of e-mail via netscape.net. I have entered my Webmail address in the E-mail(reguired) box on this comment form.
I continue to use Netscape 7 as my prime e-mailer. I run both Netscape 7 and 8 on my PC. I do prefer the Netscape 8 browser over the Netscape 7 equivalent.
I have 500Mb of email history in Netscape. How can I take this forward without the support in 8.0?
Mozilla’s Thunderbird will automatically convert your Netscape email!
Netscape 8 email client workaround. Right click anywhere on the toolbar and choose customize. Under one of those tabs (probably headline), there is an icon/text called system mail. Drag this to the tool bar. Click ok/apply etc. Now you will see the envelope icon on the tool bar. Click it and it will take you to your NS 7 email. Of course, another email option is to install Thunderbird (very similar to Netscape email but has RSS capabilities). Thunderbird can copy Netscape email, so you dont lose anything. Interestingly you can still use both NS email client and Thunderbird by pointing both of them to the same folder where your email is stored. It works. Hope this helps. Let us give the NS 8 guys a break. They are being pummelled by IE. We need to be a bit more supportive (I just like NS, and I have no connection to them)
Dave
I am with everyone else. No e-mail no 8.0
The only reason I have ever used Netscape is for the email client. Take away the email client and you can keep the browser.
Also, it seems that Netscape 8.0 will not run without IE installed. What a joke! FYI:
http://www.osnews.com/story.php?news_id=10666
http://www.flexbeta.net/main/comments.php?catid=1&shownews=13318
Also, it seems that Netscape 8.0 will not run without IE installed. What a joke! FYI:
http://www.osnews.com/story.php?news_id=10666
http://www.flexbeta.net/main/comments.php?catid=1&shownews=13318
Have always loved Netscape but after searching for a FAQ regarding uninstalling 7.2 to install 8.0 I found this site with all these comments . Now knowing there isn’t any email support I won’t install it and like everyone else shall stick to 7.2 Would love to try Netscape 8.0. Only wanted to know if we needed to uninstall 7 to install 8 or will it overwrite and update 7
Danny McGrain-
Netscape 8 is designed to offer the choice of the I.E. or Gecko engines.
Plusses are passcards for logins and on-the-fly individual site security for options from cookies and images to pop-ups, java, Javascript, and ActiveX.
You don’t need to uninstall Netscape 7 to install 8, and you can keep using 7’s email client with 8’s browser, OR, you can uninstall Netscape 7 and get Mozilla Thunderbird for email.
On Pu7o’s comment-
Because I need to use Outlook for email, I could not install all of Netscape 7.x. I did have it installed, but when I clicked on an email link, I automatically went to Netscape Mail. So, I re-installed just the browser. Then, When using the browser, if I clicked on an email link, I automatically went to Outlook.
So, the question is, if one installs Netscape 8.0.3.3 but keeps Netscape 7.x, what will happen when one clicks on an email link in Netscape 8?
I just installed Netscape 8.0 this afternoon and also discovered it has no integrated e-mail support. Bummer! I like the browser, but without ingregrated e-mail support, I will uninstall it and stick with version 7.1. If this isn’t fixed, I may finally have to go with Explorer. Too bad, I can’t imagine why e-mail support was deleted in version 8.
Oh dear. Downloaded Metscape 8. Made the gravest mistake of my life by removing Netscape 7.1 - only to find, surprise surprise, Netscape 8 has no email facility!! My own silly fault for getting enticed by the glittery advertising of 8. Now trying to re-install Netscape 7.1, but it’s all going Pete-Tong as it doesn’t seem to download properly, or it does but it doesn’t open Netscape 7, or Zone Alarm, my firewall, seems to “mistrust” it now. I’m downloading a set-up file now as I type this. Please wish me 3rd time luck on this. I refuse to use Internet Explorer as it sucks. Not much for Outlook either.I WANT MY NETSCAPE 7.1 BACK!!!!!!!
I was happily building the greatest website of all times!! In a short space of time I was dealing with literally hundreds of clients. Linking to other pages. My main source in building the site was my bookmarks and my email, in Netscape 7.1. Then one day it all changed. I came home to find a smiley face saying, “I’ve updated you to Netscape 8!”, My list of clients was lost, as were my bookmarks. Weeks of work down the drain. Now I think I’ll die alone in a bedsit. The fruit of my loins tainted by the wine that I drink. Thank you Netscape 8, you have ****ed up my life.
Hooray, hooray, hooray!! I’ve now got Netscape back, only this time it’s Netscape 7.2. Managed to download something called a “stub” which retrieved the Nescape 7.1 files which I thought I’d deleted but apparently not really. It retrieved all my lost emails and bookmarks, etc. Yay!
Now my life is complete!! Long live Netscape 7. Netscape 8 is evil.
I am disappointed in Netscape 8.0 because it doesn’t support the Netscape E-mail client that I have grown comfortable with in Netscape 7.2. It does support the Netscape web mail in a clunky sort of way.
However, when I loaded 8.0 it did not wipe out my 7.2. I still use 7.2 for e-mail. I take 8.0 for a run now and then just to check it out. It is slower than Foxfire and much more cluttered. Thus far, I have not found the engine-switch feature to be advantageous to me.
I think that all of the folks who have uninstalled Netscape 7.x and want it back can find downloads at sillydog.org.
Just remember that 7.x has no security support. You all are better off with either Mozilla Suite 1.7.x or Seamonkey 1.0a. The latest Netscape 7.x was nothing more than MozillaSuite but one iteration back.
Hmm, Netscape 8 works, and the engine switch feature works well on the few sites I visit that seem to get displayed wrong in Firefox (eg; http://www.yourasp.com.au, a McAfee site).
Bur surely it would have taken very little to put in an icon to Netscape mail 7 and included that in the download?
I am a commercial programmer and engineer, and I can see no reason other than some form of “Netscape Nanny” knows best arrogance here. In the past there was the option of Netscape Navigator, or Netscape Communicator….why not the same here. Netscape Mail 7 was and is a fine product. Why not keep the market “already got”, future proof and legacy support is so important, vis a vis Novell’s success.
Craig Meads
New Zealand
PS: I meant to add. I think too that there has been not enough communication about the Netscape mail intention. There should be a section about it on the Netscape site, and also the release notes, stating that if there is to be no Netscape mail now, or in the future, why, and what alternatives that Netscape recommend. For a number of users it is like Ford bringing out a car with no steering wheel, and absolutely no comment about why not. User are just left to second guess. Here in New Zealand, if this was a commercial product that you had to buy, Netscape would be in breach of the Fair Trading Act, the Consumer Gurantees act and would be taken to court by the Commerce Commission for mis-leading claims by omission.
CraigMeads,
I think that Time Warner, which owns Netscape had no intention of making a suite like Netscape 7.x. I can not cite any quotations, but I do believe that they were transparent in the press in the U.S. that Netscape 8.x was going to be browser only.
But, you know, you could go to Mozilla 1.7.12 which Netscape 7.x was just re-labeling and one iteration back.
Also, don’t knock that Ford with no steering wheel. It gets great gas mileage.
I downloaded netscape 8. installed it. Found out there was no email, uninstalled it. Ciao baby
Unfortunetly, I read this page after I installed Netscape 8.0 to find that
there was no email client. I will now remove Netscape 8.0 from my system. It’s worthless to me without email support.
PLEASE YOU FOLKS WHO DO NOT LIKE NETSCAPE 8, DO NOT GO BACK TO NETSCAPE 7.2. IT HAS NO SECURITY SUPPORT. NETSCAPE 7.X IS JUST MOZILLA 1.7.X BUT ONE ITERATION BACK. IF YOU DOWNLOAD MOZILLA 1.7.12 OR SEAMONKEY 1.1A, YOU WILL GET THE SUITE YOU WANT, AND I BELIEVE THAT EITHER ONE WILL SIMPLY COPY YOUR PROFILE AND BOOKMARKS FROM NETSCAPE. MOZILLA 1.7.12 IS FINE, AND IT IS SUPPORTED FOR SECURITY BY MOZILLA FOUNDATION, BUT IT IS NOT THE FUTURE. THE FUTURE OF THE SUITE IS SEAMONKEY, THE TEAM HAS TAKEN OVER SUITE DEVELOPMENT FROM MOZILLA FOUNDATION, WHICH HAS CEASED SUITE DEVELOPMENT.
I did the Mitnick workaround to get that envelope icon working, but I still can’t e-mail webpages or click on links in my e-mail without bringing up Outlook Express. Any solution?
I think MarcD is referring to comment #26
Comment by Dave Mahadevan â?? 24th Sep 2005 @ 02:12 am
But thanks for the credit.
It is utterly amazing that this comment thing is still going on on late October, to an article from May 30.
A lot of you folks would benefit greatly by going to sillydog.org, a really great site with real forums, and/or to Mozillazine forums at mozilla.org.
Both have forums dedicated to the MozillaSuite, sillydog has forums decicated to Netscape, and mozillazine.org has forums dedicated to Seamonkey.
I use NS 8 and Thunderbird. System mail icon takes you to your current email client. You need to set both your web browser and email in “set program access and defaults” in the start menu to point to NS 8 for browser and thunderbird (or NS 7.x client) for email. This can be done by choosing the custom radio button. The only caveat is the system mail icon loads a fresh window of thunderbird when you click on it. HTH.
Dave
Personally I prefer Novell’s Groupwise as my mail client, as I connect through a Novell Server, and Groupwise 7 just has to be the best and most secure mail client I have ever used. Plus it’s document management features are simply superb.
I tried the envelope trick that Richard mentioned, and it works fine, brings up my Groupwise.
But through all of this, I see bad bad communication and marketing. How to brass off thousands of users in one hit. It would take very little for Netscape to even have a section on their website stating very clearly that V8 is Browser only, and that they will no longer be providing as part of the Netscape stable, a mail client. Then they should be directing people to an alternative. Not everyone is technician, or a net geek. (I am a computer network and communications engineer), many users are just ordinary folks who do not trust Microsoft Outlook or Outlook Express, or have heard negative reports and want to try something different. The posts above this are testament to the frustration that more net-savvy people have, let alone those that aren’t.
If this was a commodity being advertised and sold, it would be illegal and a contravention of our Consumer Sales Act and the Fair Trading Act down here in New Zealand.
Just my thoughts
Craig Meads
New Zealand
Thanks guys. I had the same problem, Netscape 8.0 and no email. Downloaded MOZILLA 1.7.12 and installed it, “magic”. Just like Netscape but with email. Tried Monzilla and then happily un-installed Netscape. It is hard to leave a relationship of 8 years but that’s life.
Kiwi-
Thank you so much for doing the right thing.
Dave Mahadevan is the respondent with the “envelope trick” give credit where it is due.
I had 7.01 that I have been using for some time. A couple of months ago I downloaded 8.0 but never really used it. To much to learn again. Yesterday I download and update for 8.0 and my computer kept turning off. I found a warning that Freedom Firewall was causing a problem. I have no Idea if this came with the update or how it caused a problem. It had an update available so I did that. It now is working but as of today I no longer have my old e-mails on 7.01. Does anyone know how I can find and retrive these old mails and reload them onto my computer?
I also lost some of my bookmarks but not all. My e-mail address seem to be okay. Just lost old e-mails. Need them back.
I downloaded Netscape 8.0, and like others, was disappointed that there was no mail support. I tried the work around mentioned earlier, of putting a link for mail on the toolbar, but I didn’t really like it. I have now downloaded Sea Monkey, and it is fine, but I miss the capability of changing the rendering engine to IE from the Netscape 8.0 View menu. (I’m a DE student, and my course delivery software does not always display properly outside of IE). Any ideas as to how to get this capability in an integrated browser/email suite? Ideas that a non-techy can handle, that is. Thanks!
Phyllis-
You know, no on escapes I.E. 100% of the time. So, use it wher you must. But, also, be confident, that if you are keeping your computern updated in terms of security, there is absolutley nothing wrong with I.E.
I always likle Netscape over IE, but amazed that Netscape makes no mention of missing email in version 8 when people update. They can not be idiots, I think they want to kill usage of their own browzer. Now I upgraded from 4.7 to 8.0, because a system administrator would not let me configure my machine at work for a year - now I have to go de-upgrade to version 7.2. Why does Netscape want to commit suiside? - does AOL want to kill the adopted stepchild?
Unfortunately, I purchased the Netscape 8.0 CD upgrade about a month ago, thinking it was like past versions of Netscape, which I have been using for 8 or 10 years, since Netscape 2, as browser and email software. Nowhere on netscape.com is there mention of the change to pure browser. If I had known, I wouldn’t have wasted my money. But I haven’t installed Netscape 8 yet. The lack of information about email usage in the Manual made me suspicious, and until I hit this comments page I wasn’t sure. In fact, when I couldn’t find the answer at the Netscape site I sent their support center an email– we’ll see whether they answer. Richard Mitnick’s August comment about AOL Time Warner’s use of Netscape seems pretty logical to me, and I suppose I will have to begin dealing with excruciating task of changing software. Thunderbird? Or the Mozilla suite or Seamonkey? Thanks for all the info. But it’s painful to have to move on.
CW-
Thanks for the mention. If you go with Mozilla 1.7.12, or Seamonkey 1.0b, you are not moving on, you are right where you want to be. Mozilla picked up where Netscape left off, and Netscape 7.X was nothing more than Mozilla repackaged and one iteration back. So, if you load Mozilla 1.7.12, it should pick up your Netscape profile, bookmarks, etc. I am assuming you still have a Netscape 7.x or earlier installation. Also,for really good information, go to mozilla.org, to the Mozillazine forums, and also and to sillydog.org You will find forums on the Mozilla Suite and Seamonkey Suite, and a whole section on Seamonkey. Seamonkey is a community of interest which has gathered around the Suite idea because Mozilla Foundation/Corporation is going to devote all of its resources to FFox, TBird, etc. Mozilla 1.7.12 is secure and supported for security, but it will not be upgraded. That is what will happen with Seamonkey, not part of the Mozilla Foundation, but given a lot of support.
Before moving from Netscape 7.2 to Mozilla or Seamonkey, I would like to backup my e-mail files from Netscape 7.2. Where are they on Mac OSX and Windows?
How can one print/save a large number of Netscape e-mail files as text? vs saving a single message?
You can get the best help on all sorts of questions about Mozilla and Seamonkey at these forums: sillydog.org, and at Mozillazine.org, in the Mozilla and Seamonkey Forum and the Seamonkey General Forum.
I decided to try thunderbird, which began well, uploaded my netscape profile quite well, but now I can’t access all of my address books from the Address Book button (or Address Book on the tools menu). They all come out in the pane with the CONTACT button, which appears while writing a message, so I know they are there, but access from Address Book seems necessary for adding names or making changes. I don’t know what I did to disappear the Address Book pane with the list of books to choose from — when I started out it was there — and don’t know how to make it come back. Is there anyone out there who can help?
(P.S. Not only does Netscape 8 not have a mail client, but it also has no html editor, which was another great convenience of Netscape 6. And though 8.0 may have good safety features and the default search engine of your choice featured on the browser, it’s cluttered — I don’t meed tabs — and the drop-down url line is much too short to visualize and choose a url while typing it in. Here, too, the older version was cleaner and better. At least I think so. )
Add my initials to the sucker list. I ordered Netscape 8.0 CD with guidebook ($14.95 + $3.35 shipping) because I was on dial-up, needed to reload after XP crashed on me, and wanted to upgrade from 7.2. Never dawned on me it wouldn’t have e-mail!
Thanks for the tip about Mozilla 1.7.12. I’ve got high speed now, downloaded and installed it. Copied over the files from the 7.2 (identical) directory structure I had saved. All is as it was; e-mail, bookmarks, etc.
Looks like Netscape has conceded the browser war to Microsoft.
I was planning to “upgrade” from Netscape 7.2 to 8.1 when I saw a reference to 8.1 not having an address book. That made me very suspicious and I quickly found out 8.1 has no e-mail client either. Echoing previous comments, to me this is the death of Netscape. I have been using it since v1.x in 1995, it is painful to move on, I will likely stick with 7.2 for the next year or so and switch after I buy a new computer several months following Windows Vista’s release. The ugly thing is that Netscape should be announcing front and center and with big letters that there is no e-mail client in 8.x rather than keep completely mum about it. An e-mail client isn’t some tiny little frill whose ommission you can afford not to mention.
I supported them at the beginning and this is how they treat you. Pitiful, is all I can say.
Wondering if someone can answer my question about moving over email folders from netscape communicator 7.2 into the seamonkey which i’ve downloaded and installed on my new computer? communicator doesn’t have an export function. Appreciate any advice
I have always used Netscape even from the navigator days. Within minutes of installing version 8 I uninstalled and awaited the first revision, the one with the email component. Its here. Now where is the email component? Shame on you! If I have to have a browser with no integrated email I may as well use IE without outlook installed. It just seems to be one step ahead.At least it isn’t masking/hiding its IE components.