News
AOL's Netscape Releases Latest Communicator
- By Scott Bekker
- 03/09/1999
The effects of the AOL acquisition of Netscape Communications Corp. may have finally started today as the browser giant announced the release of Netscape Communicator 4.51, the latest version of Netscape's Internet mail and browsing software. When users download Netscape Communicator 4.51, they receive AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) 2.0, for real-time, person-to-person and group conversations.
The new release also features Quotes Anywhere, a new capability of Smart Browsing that lets users access stock quotes from the Web via the Netcenter Finance Channel.
Netscape's latest client software release with AIM 2.0, Quotes Anywhere, and improved quality and reliability is available free to download from Netscape's portal site Netcenter.
AOL Instant Messenger 2.0 with Buddy Chat allows users to send real-time text messages and web links to friends either on a one-to-one basis or as a group. Additional features include Search, to help individuals use the web and locate friends, family, and business associates by name, email address, or common interest; Neighborhood Watch, privacy controls for sending private messages while choosing who can "see you" online; and one-click buttons to connect users to other Netscape Netcenter services.
Quotes Anywhere is a new capability of Smart Browsing that provides users with up-to-date stock prices by simply typing the word "quote," followed by a ticker symbol. If a user has a personal finance portfolio hosted on Netscape Netcenter, either on the Personal Finance Channel or via My Netscape, they can type "my stocks" in to the locator field and quotes for that person's portfolio are displayed.
In addition to several performance enhancements, this release corrects potential security vulnerabilities reported in recent months by independent programmers. -- Brian Ploskina, Assistant Editor
About the Author
Scott Bekker is editor in chief of Redmond Channel Partner magazine.