CRITIQUE
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CRITIQUE
OF PLATFORMS The opinions on Netscape Communicator vary depending on which version you have, and what you use it for. The current version is 4.5, but 4.03 and 4.04 are still in common use. Like most software, Netscape upgrades, while free, are not foolproof. Here are some current opinions/critiques:
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Summarized from an article by Yael Li-Ron, PC World. , v. 15 (Dec. '97) p. 206-9
Positive:
* Cross-platform. Communicator is available for many operating systems, making it ideal for mixed environments and non-Windows 95 users.
* Small installation. The stand-alone Navigator browser takes up only 8MB of hard disk space, if you don't want the whole suite.
* Noninvasive. It doesn't integrate with your operating system, minimizing the threat of system crashes. (As opposed to Windows Explorer, which can in fact not only lead to crashes but the need to reinstall Windows itself.)
Negative:
Netscape Communicator 4.03 is remarkably unstable, and prone to crashes and lock-up.
* Mixed-up menus. The interface is inconsistent between modules.
* Not fully implemented. It doesn't always act like a fully-functional Windows 95 application (for example, its right-click functionality is sporadic).
* E-mail challenged. The e-mail client can't retrieve mail from multiple accounts all at once.
Author’s own experience
Positive:
Available at no cost. Able to perform basic e-mail functions and delivers messages reliably.
It lets you know when a new version is available automatically.
Negative
I use Netscape Communicator at home and Microsoft Outlook at work, both primarily for e-mail. Outlook seems a lot more efficient. It is very easy to delete old files or reply. With Netscape, I am never sure exactly where to look to delete, reply or forward. Plus, there is a delay on every step. For the limited amount of space my messages take up, I wish Netscape could just store them on my computer’s hard-drive and update my account when I send or receive, or at least let this be an option.
Summarized from article by Dylan Tweney in InfoWorld
Positive:
InfoWorld selected this product as the best Internet software tool of 1998.
Communicator is now extra-friendly to remote and traveling employees thanks to expanded support for the IMAP4 and Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP)
Communicator’s browser is more user-friendly and more stable.
Provides IT managers a solid, usable suite of Internet client software on which to rely
This version is not yet released, at least in the traditional sense. Netscape has released the source code to this product. The hope is that loyal users will help work out the bugs and develop innovations, which will be incorporated into the actual release. How this will play out after the merger with AOL is a big unknown. There is a site devoted to this product, mozilla.com
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