Overall, Netscape Communicator is the most impressive suite of integrated Internet applications currently available. However, with technology that dates back to late 1996, the Communicator 4.x suite as a whole and specifically the Web browser are beginning to look a bit long in the tooth. While the public has anxiously awaited news of a Netscape 5.0 release, Microsoft has twice leapfrogged Netscape with the release of Internet Explorer 4 (to a small degree) and, to a much larger degree, Internet Explorer 5.
Netscape Communicator is still used by roughly 35% of the Internet market, but it continues to lose ground each day to the faster and more functional Internet Explorer. Unless Netscape 5.x appears soon, and unless the new release offers noticeable advantages over Internet Explorer 5, Netscape could see its market share erode even further.
Note on 128-bit Releases:
Pros: Impressive suite of Net apps, solid Web browser with HTML 4.0 technology
Cons: Older technology, IE 5.0/6.0 offers more features and faster speed
