COM 125 Week 2: Netscape Navigator

The year 1994, represented a monumental year for the development of the internet. The internet allowed people to begin networking with one another, allowing for greater communication.

That very same year in December of the same year, the tech world witnessed the release of Netscape Navigator 1.0. The words “Netscape Navigator” may not ring a bell in the typical internet user today in Singapore. However to the local early adopters of the internet here, the Navigator package is one which provided the initial leap into the world of the internet back in the late 90s. I’m sure some of us will feel tinges of nostalgia roused within from our early streaks of internet excitement. The familiar packaging with large capital ‘N’ coupled with the black horizon littered with stars explicitly displayed holding what was the revered cd-rom or in some cases floppy discs!

It was developed after the first World Wide Web browser, Mosaic which was developed in 1992. It started when Jim Clark, the founder of Silicon Graphics met Marc Andreesseen. Clark saw great prospects in Mosaic and provided funds for its development. Back then, the corporation who had taken up the work was called Mosaic Communications Corporation. But how did Netscape get its name? The University of Illinois where Andreessen had graduated from, was displeased with the usage of the word “Mosaic” and so decided to to change its name to “Netscape Communications” and thus naming he web browser Netscape Navigator. (Wikipedia, 2007)

I consider the release of Netscape Navigator 1.0

as an important milestone in internet history. This is due to the fact that its release provided empowerment to the internet “newbie” back at a time when the phrase “newbie” had yet to be even coined!

Netscape Navigator was the first internet browser to offer a complete, secure client/server system; providing the perfect platform for users to explore all the internet had to offer. For the first time, users were given the tools to realize the potentiality of the internet. Email, IRC, web browsing, and even the humble beginnings of E-commerce. Netscape brought about the foundations for the way the internet is browsed and used today – the simplicity of point and click operation coupled with the foundations of secure internet usage.

However, its strong life span in the world of internet began to decrease in the year 1996 due to their competitor, Microsoft. Despite its sudden decrease in usage to the popularity of its competitor called the Internet Explorer (I.E), it still managed to sustain its presence in the Internet world till the year 2004. (Wikipedia, 2007)

Through the years, people have contributed the downfall of Netscape to another factor other than to Internet Explorer. Others believed that it was due to the need to upgrade that caused Netscape’s downfall. Netscape wanted to modify itself to improve the quality of usage that can be gained by users. However, their research and development took them three years to complete. By which time, many had grown accustomed to the old version of Netscape, version 0.4, that they did not want to switch to something new. (Wikipedia, 2007) This led to people thinking that Netscape had caused their own failure.

I find it a surreal experience to actually look back 13 years ago, to see the humble beginnings of what the internet as we know it today, take place at such an innocent age of discovery. I wonder whether the developers at the time even dreamt of the hints of what the ramifications of such software could be?

References

Wikipedia (5 September, 2006). "History of World Wide Web". Retrieved January 25, 2007 from
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=History_of_the_World_Wide_Web&oldid=73974490

Wikipedia (21 January, 2007). "Netscape Navigator". Retrieved January 25, 2007 from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netscape_Navigator">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netscape_Navigator

Wikipedia (18 January, 2007 “Mosaic(web browser)” Retrieve January 26, 2007 from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosaic_(web_browser)">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosaic_(web_browser)

"Netscape" Retrieve January 25, 2007 from http://www.netscape.com/">http://www.netscape.com/

Courtesy? what's that?

I love the look on this little puppy... Her eyes just staring straight into the camera with such innocence. All the shots i got from her were lovely... well, here's 2...

I.C customers can be quite a pain in the ass. We all say Ice-Cream's happy food... yeah, sure it is... it also makes people so happy that they jut care about their happiness and behave in the most obnoxious and inconsiderate manner. During he day, secondary and JC students come in, make a whole lot of noise, and take loads of tissue paper which they'd never use and if they were blown off the table, they'd simply let them fly...alll over....the place... Water spills, they leave it and don't notify us, leaving it to get stomped on and leaving foot prints all voer the place. Singaporeans seem to have this lack of manners, no "please" no "thank you" no "may i", nothing. just i want this and that and this and that. PLEASE! it's just $2.50, i don't owe you anything! Parents come in with their children, and even the little ones have more manners than they do!

These people can sometimes make work boring and makes one's blood boil. I'm even sorry to say this, the JC kids and Secondary kids who come are simply rude... We have frequent girls who come from Nanyang Sec school, and these girls are the worst, they scream, they shout, and vulgarities just flow like water. and recently, two girls openly drank Vodka in Island! After drinking, the "provider" even gave me the "I'm cool fo drinking underage" look... LOL! and minutes later, she had her foot up on the bench like those uncles at the kopi tiam, and acting all tipsy, boy was she amusing to look at! PHFT...

Sitting the car today, with the windows down...made me love the car even more... I super love Minis... My Goal, to own one... a Cooper Cabriolet.... how happy i would be! I love this car!

Well, here's the last picture of my post, Christopher's guitar.

Since i've got this blog up, i might as well make use of it too..rather than leave it for weekly posts... i think it's a good opportunity to "showcase" my love for photography...

I decided to make my way down to my favorite reservoir haunt for my sunset photo taking since the sun was out bright and strong during the day... upon reaching...sunset was a little disappointing as compared to the many times i've been there, but i managed to catch someone else there, soaking in the last bit of sunlight....

i love this picture..taking it was amazing..she didn't budge from her spot..and she let me snap away... i was barely 15cm away from her... i love taking pictures of animals..i've got a few of them... and so...hahaha..as expected...i'll constantly post them...

Well, since i'm on the topic of my favorite photo taking haunt, here's jsut a few i've taken there....all on different occasions...

Cheers....

About....me?

For my classmates? you all know me as Valerie...Val... but not everyone..only my 4 closest in class, know more about me and what i like. But for others such as Mr. Kevin Lim here's me! Age: 22. Completed my diploma in Business Studies in Ngee Ann and then headed over here to SIM..right, next door. Honestly, i never really liked business, it wasn't for me. Totally not for me! except for Marketing, something i majored in my final year, it taught me alot, taught me how essential communication is in any business, if you don't get along with your classmates, you're dead. It was really essential for me since we were thrown the task of running the class like a business, we did everything necessary in marketing a company. It was an experience not everyone can say they had and it was then i realised what i wanted to do. So that's one reason why i joined this degree course. =)


I part-time at a local ice-cream parlor, Island Creamery! It's awesome! it's also where my colleagues and i develop the whole "Popeye" arm.. and mind you, not on both arms, but rather on one arm!

I have and HAD many hobbies, some have come and gone, some have stayed. i've played the organ, dropped it, moved on to the piano, dropped it, and moved on to the guitar, and...dropped it! hahaha... I loved track, (did it in secondary school), i did ballet, i did gymnastics, AND i did dance (hip hop), but thats the only one that has really lasted...Dance... i absolutely love it...the adrenaline of being on stage and performing... wow!


So thats me, i've done so so many things but they mostly never last. well, at least i've had the opportunity to have tried them right?


I love bowling, participated in competitions, won medals, another way of getting my adrenaline fix besides dance. However there's one hobby i recently picked up that i love and has benefited me in many ways... Photography!


Compact camera's never really did it for me, i wanted more, and i was lucky enough to have my parents sponsor me a little in my first purchase of a DSLR. i wanted to get somthing good... i didn't want to buy something that was for basic use, i wanted more and jumped straight to a 30D and since i purchased in just over a year ago, i've been attached to it. Since then, i have joined two photography competitions and won one, and a major one at that, it got my picture into local photography magazines, website, and papers. It was the annual Canon Photo Marathon 2006.

Since then, it has made me open to exploring more forms of photography, i've taken nature, sunsets, animals, Macro pictures, guitars, and i've even done concerts and events, one of which was for my classmates for the StompAids 3 day event. I hope to excel in photography and one day hope to hold my own exhibition.


Honestly, if i could tell you more about me, i would never stop. LOL! but to know more about me would not be in here, but rather my personal blog of course... =) everything from my daily ramblings, to of course my photography pictures are all there.. well, this shall be all for my first entry i guess... thought i'd at least make it a colorful one...hope it's good enough!

URL: http://vahlahweeeee.multiply.com