Netscape Communicator

{{Short description|Discontinued Internet software suite}}

{{More citations needed|date=December 2007}}

{{Infobox software

| name = Netscape Communicator

| logo = Netscape icon.svg

| logo size = 200px

| screenshot =

| caption =

| developer = Netscape Communications Corporation

| released = {{Start date and age|1997|06||df=no}}

| discontinued = yes

| latest release version = {{wikidata|property|preferred|references|edit|Q1410913|P348|P548=Q2804309}}

| latest release date = {{wikidata|qualifier|preferred|single|Q1410913|P348|P548=Q2804309|P577}}

| latest preview version = {{wikidata|property|preferred|references|edit|Q1410913|P348|P548=Q51930650}}

| latest preview date = {{wikidata|qualifier|preferred|single|Q1410913|P348|P548=Q51930650|P577}}

| platform = Cross-platform

| replaced_by = Netscape 6

| genre = Internet suite

| website = {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110621060209/http://archive.netscape.com:80/ |date=June 21, 2011 |title=archive.netscape.com }}

}}

Netscape Communicator (or Netscape 4) is a discontinued Internet suite produced by Netscape Communications Corporation, and was the fourth major release in the Netscape line of browsers. It was first in beta in 1996 and was released in June 1997.{{Cite web|title=Netscape Ships its Most Advanced Client Software Suite for Macintosh: Netscape Communicator 4.01 for the Mac Now Available for Download |work=Netscape.com |access-date=2016-01-19 |date=1997-06-27 |url=http://www101.netscape.com/newsref/pr/newsrelease437.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19971022102416/http://www101.netscape.com/newsref/pr/newsrelease437.html |archive-date=October 22, 1997 }}{{Cite news|title=Netscape Announces Availability of Netscape SuiteSpot 3.0 and Netscape Communicator: First Delivery for Enterprise Developers at Netscape's Internet DevCon; Product Available Online to Millions of Users Worldwide |work=Netscape.com |location=Tokyo and Mountain View |access-date=2016-01-19 |date=1997-06-04 |url=http://www101.netscape.com/newsref/pr/newsrelease417.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19971022102622/http://www101.netscape.com/newsref/pr/newsrelease417.html |archive-date=October 22, 1997 }} Netscape Communicator addressed the problem of Netscape Navigator 3.x being used as both the name of the suite and the browser contained within it by renaming the suite to Netscape Communicator.{{Cite web|url=https://www.its.hku.hk/news/ccnews70/ns4.htm|title=Netscape Communicator 4.0 Available|access-date=2014-09-04|publisher=Information Technology services. The University of Hong Kong|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150318192647/https://www.its.hku.hk/news/ccnews70/ns4.htm|archive-date=2015-03-18|url-status=dead}} It included more groupware features intended to appeal to enterprises.

In February 1998, Netscape announced that Mozilla.org would co-ordinate the development of Netscape Communicator 5 as "a dedicated team within Netscape with an associated Web site that will promote, foster and guide open dialog and development of Netscape's client source code."{{Cite news|title=Netscape Announces Mozilla.org, a Dedicated Team and Web Site Supporting Development of Free Client Source Code |work=Netscape.com |date=1998-02-23 |url=http://www.netscape.com/newsref/pr/newsrelease577.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19980706003741/http://www.netscape.com/newsref/pr/newsrelease577.html |archive-date=July 6, 1998 }} However, the aging Communicator code proved to be difficult to work with, so it was abandoned. The whole source code of Communicator was re-written by Mozilla, who were then testing it as Mozilla Application Suite. Netscape, now owned by AOL, finally released Communicator's successor Netscape 6 in November 2000, based on Mozilla Application Suite with changes and additions. Minor updates to Communicator continued to be issued, culminating in the release of Netscape Communicator 4.8 in August 2002.