Netscape Introduces Netscape Navigator 2.0

Mountain View, Calif. (September 18, 1995) -- Netscape Communications Corporation (NASDAQ: NSCP) today introduced Netscape Navigator 2.0, a major new release of the widely popular navigator for enterprise networks and the Internet. Netscape Navigator 2.0 integrates a full suite of Internet applications -- including secure electronic mail, threaded discussion groups, and state-of-the-art navigation capabilities -- with advanced features such as rich layout and Live Objects support to give users access to a new generation of live online applications. A public beta version of Netscape Navigator 2.0 for Microsoft Windows, Macintosh, and UNIX operating environments will be available next week for downloading from Netscape's home page.

Netscape Navigator 2.0 is part of an array of Netscape products unveiled today that deliver a new level of interactivity to users accessing or sharing information on enterprise networks and the Internet. In addition to the 2.0 version, Netscape announced today Netscape Navigator Gold 2.0, a next-generation software tool that enables everyone to navigate, create, and edit live online documents; and Netscape LiveWire and Netscape LiveWire Pro visual development environments for creating, deploying, and maintaining entire online application systems. The products expand Netscape's client/server software line, designed to link people and information, into a full application platform for enterprise networks and the Internet.

"Netscape Navigator 2.0 is the desktop engine for building a new generation of live online applications," said Mike Homer, vice president of marketing at Netscape. "By integrating advanced features such as Java support, sophisticated layout capabilities, and inline multimedia plug-ins with core applications such as secure email and threaded discussion groups, Netscape Navigator 2.0 provides users with a secure, interactive, and open environment for communicating and conducting business on the Internet or across their enterprise networks."

Available for all popular desktop environments, Netscape Navigator 2.0 is a powerful, flexible, and easy-to-use online environment, combining secure point-and-click network navigation, email, threaded discussion groups, file transfers, and other Internet services in a seamlessly integrated package. It is optimized to run smoothly over 14.4 kilobit/second modems as well as higher bandwidth lines. Netscape Navigator provides a common feature set and graphical user interface across computers running the Microsoft Windows, Macintosh, or X Window System operating environments. Netscape's products are based on industry standards and protocols and are compatible with the installed base of World Wide Web clients and servers.

Netscape Navigator 2.0 provides a host of new capabilities within the Netscape Navigator environment including:

• Integrated secure email, enabling users to both read and send standards-based email. Users can embed live Internet hyperlinks into mail messages; list, view, sort, drag and drop messages; read messages offline; and read and send mail securely using the Secure MIME (S/MIME) open protocol for encryption and digital signatures. Netscape Navigator email includes a personal address book and supports MIME attachments for multimedia messages
• Integrated threaded discussion groups, allowing users to sort and list messages from subscribed folders. Netscape Navigator 2.0 provides fully threaded and MIME-compliant news reading and posting, for multimedia news articles
• Support for Live Objects -- or interactive multimedia content -- including:
  Netscape inline plug-ins support, which enables new capabilities to be seamlessly integrated into Netscape Navigator. Netscape inline plug-ins, being developed by hundreds of third party companies, include such applications as a player for Macromedia Director presentations and a viewer for Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) documents
  Support for Java applets, or mini-applications created in the Java programming language. Java applets include security features and bring a range of new functionality to enterprise networks and the Internet, enabling live updating, two-way interaction, and platform-independent client/server applications
  Frames, a new page presentation capability that enables the display of multiple, independently scrollable panels on a single screen, each with its own distinct Internet address. They also enable a region of the screen to be frozen in place as the user scrolls through information on a page
• Next level security for financial transactions through the Secure Courier open protocol, which creates a secure digital envelope for financial data on the Internet
• Enhanced Bookmarks interface that enables users to drag and drop links from any Web page into the bookmark window and arrange them using a hierarchical folder-based interface. The interface makes it easy for users to create and maintain a directory of their favorite internal or external Web sites.

To use secure email and other client authentication capabilities, Netscape Navigator 2.0 users will be able to obtain digital certificates from Netscape partners such as VeriSign, Inc. Digital certificates serve as a user's secure "Internet driver's license", identifying the user through public key encryption technology for secure mail and other applications. For users who desire a listing, Netscape will maintain a directory of email names and public keys so that other users can send secure mail to them.

In conjunction with Netscape Navigator 2.0, Netscape also announced that it will offer an upgrade program that enables users to purchase Netscape Navigator 1.1 or 1.2 today and upgrade without charge to Netscape Navigator 2.0 when it becomes available. Because it includes both Windows 3.1 and Windows 95 versions of Netscape Navigator, the upgrade program lets PC users upgrade to Windows 95 at their own pace. Upgrade pricing will be available later this month.

Upon final release in December, the product will be available in US English, Japanese, German, and French, with additional languages to follow. The public beta of the US English version of Netscape Navigator 2.0 for Macintosh, Windows, and X Window System operating environments will be available next week for downloading via anonymous FTP from ftp.netscape.com. The software is free to students and staff of academic institutions and charitable non-profit organizations, and for 90-day evaluation by individuals and commercial users. When the final release is available, users can purchase supported, licensed copies of Netscape Navigator directly from Netscape Communications or from a Netscape authorized reseller. Pricing from Netscape starts at $49, which includes a 90-day warranty and customer support. Volume discounts are available for multiple user licenses.

Netscape Communications Corporation is a premier provider of open software to enable people and companies to exchange information and conduct commerce over the Internet and other global networks. The company was founded in April 1994 by Dr. James H. Clark, founder of Silicon Graphics, Inc., a Fortune 500 computer systems company; and Marc Andreessen, creator of the NCSA Mosaic research prototype for the Internet. Traded on Nasdaq under the symbol "NSCP", Netscape Communications Corporation is based in Mountain View, California.

Additional information on Netscape Communications Corporation is available on the Internet at , by sending email to info@netscape.com or by calling 415-528-2555.

Netscape Communications, the Netscape Communications logo, Netscape, and Netscape Navigator, Netscape Navigator Gold, Live Objects, Secure Courier, and Netscape LiveWire are trademarks of Netscape Communications Corporation. NCSA Mosaic is a trademark of the University of Illinois. All other product names are trademarks of their respective companies.