CEDAR NOTCH, Colorado (CNM) -- Netscope Communications released a test version of its Navigator 5 browser Thursday morning. By Thursday afternoon, Cascade Software had answered with a new release of its Internet Explorist, along with a press release calling its rival's product "a 1997 browser in a 1999 hat."
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| The two rival browsers, side by side |
Netscope says its new version will load pages 40 percent faster and include a built-in "Smart Bookmarks" feature. Cascade says Explorist 5.5 offers "unmatched integration" with its Panes operating system, which critics say is exactly the problem.
Web designers, caught in the middle, are building pages that work in both browsers -- or posting small buttons that say "Best viewed in" one or the other. "I have three versions of every page," said one designer. "And a fourth that just says 'please upgrade.'"
Industry analysts say Explorist now holds about 70 percent of the market. Netscope fans remain fiercely loyal. "It is not about market share," said one. "It is about the little lighthouse logo."
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