The development of the internet had tremendously increased by the mid-1990s, and Netscape Navigator was one of the very first web browsers created to make the World Wide Web more available to people. For numerous individuals, this particular web browser opened the doors of the World Wide Web and acted as a powerful agent of the digital age. It is also quite interesting to look back at the websites that played pivotal roles in building up the foundation of the internet. Thus, this article will focus on which areas contributed to the growth of Netscape Navigator, what sites were present back then, and how this particular browser altered the preexisting paradigm of the World Wide Web.

The Rise of Netscape Navigator

Netscape Navigator, or simply Navigator, was developed and released by Netscape Communications in December 1994 and became the most used web browser within the early years of the internet. It was the first browser that possessed the remarkable ability to combine images, text, and hyperlinks in a simple-to-use graphical user interface. While browsers like Lynx and many others restricted the users to a text-only format, Navigator brought many colors to the web, facilitating the use of the internet for people all over the world.

Its quick embracement by the users was due to ease of use and reliability, as well as speed. During its peak reign, Netscape Navigator controlled Browser over 80% of the market share, changing how people browse the net. It was the’most preferred’ application for many and hence was used widely around the globe.

What Made Netscape Navigator Special?

Netscape Navigator was undoubtedly revolutionary in several aspects. It had strategies in place to popularize the browser beyond the mere techie crowd. Some of its unique features are: 
Graphical user interface (GUI): Navigators were the first browsers to include a wide variety of formatting techniques, including incorporation of pictures, drawings, tables, and forms, making the web pages visually appealing as opposed to other earlier browsers that were plain text. 
Speed and Performance: In comparison with other products, which had low and slow loading and easy browsing, the editor was a favorite among many users as it was fast. 
Managing Bookmarks: Users of the Navigator browser were able to quickly return to their most visited sites with just a click, thanks to the quick saving of their most favorite ones. 
Security: SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) encryption is one of the earliest features that browsers included, which enabled the very first foundations of any monetary transaction made through the internet. 
All these aspects, along with the strong ability of the browser to perform functional tasks, contributed to its soaring above all others during the late nineties.

Popular Websites of the Netscape Era

Back in the days of Netscape, the World Wide Web was still growing, and most of the sites we now associate with the internet were just coming up. So, in this section, we will review some of the common websites of that time.

Yahoo: The Search Engine Powerhouse

Founded in 1994 by Jerry Yang along with David Filo, Yahoo! began as a simple list of links to various other websites and in no time became one of the most visited search engines at the dawn of the internet age. Naturally, it was not merely a search engine; Yahoo! included a portal that featured a slew of other services in addition to search, such as news, emails, finance, weather, etc., thus making sure its users do not go anywhere else. Another important feature was Yahoo’s directory of websites, which arranged the sites into a systematic and user-friendly structure. This helped a lot when there was an explosion of websites and searching through them became a real challenge.

When it launched, Yahoo was rated as the best site on the net, even better than CT Search. The latter one managed to outrank them in the ads, search, and web market in the early 2000s.

GeoCities: The Birth of Personal Websites

GeoCities, created in 1994, was one of the first sites that allowed users to create their very own websites. It offered free web hosting, enabling anyone who could build a simple HTML page to create a site about their hobbies, interests, or simply a personal album. It is credited with making the term “personal web page” common and became one of the most visited sites in the late 1990s.

In addition, GeoCities served to fuel what was to become the very first “web 2.0” phenomenon whereby everyone became a content producer. It was a forerunner of social networking, as it helped many people vent out their feelings using the internet.

AOL: The Gateway to the Internet

America Online (AOL) was much more than a simple website; its main activity was offering access to the internet, email, and instant messaging. Indeed, AOL became the first introduction to the net for millions of its users. In the 1990s, thousands of AOL’s CDs were regularly sent to every household, and those who used them became eligible for signing up for dial-up ads. The Snooze alarm sounded so often that the phrase became synonymous with AOL’s messaging services upon the emergence of the digital age.

AOL provided a comfortable, presumably enclosed area where users could sign up to chat, access its member-only contents, and send messages to the outside world. The enterprise played a pivotal role in taking the internet to the ordinary American, but in the end, it was left behind as the internet grew and expansive broadband technology took over dial-up.

MSN: Microsoft’s Entry into the Web World

In the year 1995, Microsoft also jumped into the bandwagon of internet services by introducing the Microsoft Network (MSN), seeing it fit into their bigger plan of venturing into the online space. The MSN was an internet portal and contained a news section, a weather section, and a search engine as its main features. Later, the portal incorporated web-based email, an instant messenger dubbed MSN Messenger, and many other new services.

MSN was Microsoft’s answer to the threat that empires like AOL and Yahoo presented. It did not quite manage to dethrone AOL as the instant messaging champion but was instrumental in building the first phases of the web and shaped what other web applications would become.

The Evolution of E-Commerce: Amazon and eBay

From the early 90s, shopping over the internet was almost unheard of, but two companies that came up around the birth of Netscape—Amazon and eBay—would later change how people shopped from the internet.

Amazon: Jeff Bezos started Amazon in 1994 as an online book store. Later, it transformed into a giant on the web, providing services ranging from electronics to food. Most importantly, Amazon’s astoundingly achieved success is ever since his marketing planning was centered on the importance of customer service and ease of shopping experience.

eBay: Also in 1995, eBay was established as a website where one could auction his or her stuff and any one looking to buy it could do so, thanks to the somewhat perfect timing of the Internet with the masses. eBay was among the ones who developed a healthy appreciation for commerce over the internet any time at the backstage.

Both have also managed to survive and evolve, which makes them among the biggest forces in commerce as we know it today.

Entertainment and multimedia

In the age of Netscape, the world wide web was surely becoming an entertainment medium as well. The first few sites began providing content that consisted of music, video, and games. Though streaming had yet to be born, services like Napster, which invented file sharing on the internet, and others such as RealPlayer, which enabled video over the internet, were the precursors to the modern revolution of online content consumption.

Also in the early nineties came Flash sites, which revolutionized web design and multimedia entertainment because they enabled web designers to come up with interactive and animated designs.

The Legacy of Netscape Navigator in Modern Browsing

Although Netscape Navigator cannot be used anymore, the features can be found in modern web browsers. Mozilla Firefox, which was developed from the Mozilla project, became a prominent browser in its own age, taking some of the innovative elements from Netscape. Also, the open source community, which was fostered by Netscape, has significantly contributed to the growth of web standards and security measures as well as the advancement of browsers.

The aesthetic and usability optimization principles that were advanced by Netscape were instrumental in the creation of the modern web, where user interaction is paramount. The success of current web browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge can be traced to the early innovations made by Netscape.

Conclusion

Netscape Navigator was far more than just a browsing tool. It played an important role in the creation of today’s web. It encouraged the masses to use the internet in a more oriented, intuitive, and artistic manner. While reminiscing on many of the websites that existed during the Netscape reign, such as Yahoo, GeoCities, AOL, MSN, and even the infancy of online shopping, one cannot help but conclude that the foundations for the current age of digitalism were built at that age. The fall of Netscape might have been very fast, but its influence is still felt throughout the worldwide web.