Remember Netscape?

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Netscape was an internet company as well as a popular web browser in the late 1990s and early 2000s. After enjoying popularity as the most used internet browser on personal computers, it lost out to Microsoft’s internet explorer. By the end of 2006 less than 1% of people were using the Netscape internet browser.

Along with their internet browser, the folks at Netscape Communications developed the Secure Sockets Layer Protocol (SSSL) and JavaScript; one of the most widely used programming languages still to this day. So although the web browser is virtually extinct, a lot of the technological backbone still exists today.

In 1998, Netscape communications was acquired by America On Line (AOL). Instead of a monetary amount, a 4.2 billion dollar stock swap occurred. This made it a tax free deal. Unfortunately the subsequent releases of unstable version of Netscape explorer by AOL further drove users away and into the arms of Microsoft internet explorer.

In May 2003, after Microsoft was found guilty of monopolizing the market, AOL was awarded $750 million. They were also given the right to distribute Microsoft internet explorer for free to all its users for seven years. This part of the deal meant the demise of Netscape explorer. Netscape was officially disbanded in July 2003.

In 2004 Red Hat announced the acquisition of a large amount of the Netscape Suite. The company announced its plans to release the browsers code as an open source. A final version of the Netscape browser was released in 2008 however at it only occupied 0.6% of the user market. No further versions are expected to be released.

 

 

 

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MySpace – the Place for Everyone!

Image representing MySpace as depicted in Crun...

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Before Facebook took over the world of social networking, MySpace was all the rage with those wanting to connect with friends, family and even strangers across the World Wide Web. Through 2006, 2007, and 2008 it enjoyed success as the most popular social networking site on the internet. It was then superseded by its fiercely competitive rival Facebook.

MySpace began as a place for artists, such as musicians and actors to have a space to promote themselves and their work. The first version was launched in 2003 with the project overseen by Brad Greenspan, Chris DeWolfe, Josh Berman, and Tom Anderson. Tom Anderson has widely been attributed with the creation of MySpace and indeed is a very prominent user on the site; however this has encountered much debate over the years. Upon signing up for an account, Tom is the new member’s first friend.

In recent years, although MySpace remains popular, its traffic has suffered a decline. Many believe that the continued falling in membership numbers was attributed to the sites heavy focus as a portal for music and entertainment. This stood in stark contrast to it competitor sites who focused primarily on providing users with a very interactive social networking experience. The platform of music and entertainment only peaks the interest of so many people, whereas socializing involves almost everyone.

In early 2011, MySpace was announced as being up for sale. Its loss of membership and revenue from advertisers rendered the site a burden rather than a viable social networking option. With a hefty price tag of around $100 million it will be interesting to see who buys it.

 

 

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Android and the Cloud

The latest in gadget technology are the Tablets. The most popular and out-performing of these has been the Android tablets. We are generally accustomed to using the Internet for many household tasks. We have fewer and fewer lines to wait in because of the accessibility the web provides. When we do have to stand in the line, it is usually shorter because others can handle their business on the web.

Using the Web through Your Android

Tablets now make using the Internet even more an automatic habit. The portability of the handheld devices make it easy to check the weather, browse Facebook, send an email, pay a bill, or a host of other tasks while still sitting in bed or while waiting for some actual face-to-face contact with someone.

Androids Access the Cloud

Amazon has an amazing system of storage that is used by the individual and huge businesses alike. You pay for the space you use and can store large amounts of data and information. The Android Tablets are some of the only handheld devices which can access this system. The apps (applications) for being able to use this are available for your tablet. Apple seems to be trying to catch up by what is called iCloud but it is doubtful that it will compare well since the tablets from Apple, as of yet, don’t compare with the Androids.

New Androids to Access the Clouds

Soon there will be new generation of Androids with more power and more internal storage space than currently available. This isn’t good news to iPad fans, but it will cause others to pick up the pace a bit.

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