The open-source Mozilla browser was in turn used as the basis for Netscape 6. Netscape formed the Mozilla Foundation and develop the Mozilla Application Suite using Gecko. However, the versions continued to be numbered as if it had been released. Though Netscape had originally intended to deploy Mariner and later replace it with Gecko (which had been developed from scratch), Netscape 5 and Mariner were scrapped completely. Netscape 5.0 (codenamed "Gromit" ) was a continuation of the 4.x code, but only two pre-alpha versions were written, one based on original Communicator code (with layout engine stability and performance enhancements to the 4.0 codebase, codenamed Mariner) and another using the Gecko layout engine. In November 1998 work on Netscape 5.0 was cancelled in favor of developing a completely new program from scratch. As a result of this, and a more advanced support of HTML 4, CSS, DOM, and ECMAScript by Internet Explorer starting with version 4, the more up-to-date Internet Explorer 5.0 became the market leader. But there were significant delays to the release of Netscape's next major version and Communicator therefore aged badly over the many years it was still used. Netscape Communicator 5.0 was announced (codenamed "Gromit"). In January 1998, Netscape Communications Corporation announced that all future versions of their software would be free of charge and developed by an Open Source Community ( Mozilla). Standalone versions for other operating systems such as Unix/Linux were maintained up to version 4.8. A standalone version of Netscape Navigator was still available, but this was discontinued after version 4.08 for Windows. Only one month later, Netscape Communications Corporation was bought by AOL. This new version featured various functionality improvements, especially in the Mail/News component, but did not update the browser core (which, in its functionality, was basically identical with version 4.08). In October 1998 version 4.5 of Netscape Communicator was released. The Communicator suite was made up of Netscape Navigator, Netscape Mail and Newsgroups, Netscape Address Book and Netscape Composer (an HTML editor, which later became Mozilla Composer and eventually was split off into a completely separate product, Nvu). The new suite was successful, despite increasing competition from Internet Explorer 4.0 and problems with the outdated browser core. This new version, more or less based on Netscape Navigator 3 Code, updated and added new features (such as support of certain CSS1 elements, minimal dynamic font support and the proprietary object element). released the final version of Netscape Communicator in June 1997. After releasing five preview releases from 1996–1997, Netscape Corp. Netscape 4 addressed the problem of Netscape Navigator being used as both the name of the suite and the browser contained within it by renaming the suite to Netscape Communicator. The highest version in this line was 3.04. Netscape Navigator 3 was a huge success and the undisputed web browser giant in its time with over 90% share, but was later eroded by the free Internet Explorer included with Windows 98. Netscape 3.0 introduced many new features such as new plug-ins, background colors for tables, the archive attribute and the applet element. Version 3.0 was also available in a "Gold" version which featured a WYSIWYG HTML editor (later added to Netscape Communicator as a standard feature). Netscape easily held off Microsoft's challenge and remained the number one browser for the time being. Version 3.0 of Netscape (the first beta was codenamed "Atlas") was the first to face any serious competition in the form of Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0. Around the same time, AOL started bundling their software with Microsoft's Internet Explorer. During this period, both the browser and the suite were known as Netscape Navigator. Version 2.0 added a full mail reader called Netscape Mail, thus transforming Netscape from a mere web browser to an Internet suite. Netscape's feature-count and market share continued to grow rapidly after version 1.0 was released. The browser was easily the most advanced available and was therefore an instant success, becoming market leader while still in beta. The company's name also changed from Mosaic Communications Corporation to Netscape Communications Corporation. The first beta release versions of the browser was released in 1994 and known as Mosaic and then Mosaic Netscape until a legal challenge from the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (makers of NCSA Mosaic, which many of Netscape's founders used to develop), led to the name change to Netscape Navigator. Netscape Navigator was the name of Netscape's web browser from versions 1.0 through 4.8.
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