Editing Netscape Communicator (section)

{{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}}
 <!-- | programming language   = ? -->| platform = [[Cross-platform]]
 <!-- | language               = ? -->| replaced_by = [[Netscape 6]]
| genre = [[Internet suite]]
 <!-- | license                = ? -->| 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 (web browser)|Netscape]] line of browsers. It was first in beta in 1996 and was released in June 1997.<ref>{{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 }}</ref><ref>{{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 }}</ref> 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''.<ref>{{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}}</ref> It included more [[groupware]] features intended to appeal to enterprises.

In February 1998, Netscape announced that [[Mozilla Foundation|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."<ref>{{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 }}</ref> 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.