AfterDawn: News

Netscape creator launches new web browser

Netscape Communications founder Marc Andreessen has launched a new web browser, dubbed RockMelt along with two former partners, Eric Vishria and Tim Howes.

Howes and Andreessen sold their company, Opsware Inc to Hewlett-Packard two years ago for $1.6 billion USD.



Not much else is known about the browser but it appears that it will be designed in some way to work directly with Facebook. Andreessen is a board member of the social networking site.

"There are all kinds of things that you would do differently if you are building a browser from scratch," added Andressen in a past interview with the NYTimes.

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RockMelt.com

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 19 Aug 2009 0:56

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• 11 comments

• Morreale

  RockMelt... Interesting name for a web browser. Where'd they get it from?

  19.8.2009 01:05 #1

• Pop_Smith

  @Morreale, I too wonder where they got the name from.
  
  I'm not sure why they would want to create a browser that would be designed specifically for a fad...err...I mean, facebook.

  19.8.2009 01:34 #2

• DXR88

  Originally posted by Pop_Smith: @Morreale, I too wonder where they got the name from.
  
  I'm not sure why they would want to create a browser that would be designed specifically for a fad...err...I mean, facebook.cant be much worse than Jean Luc Picard of the USS Enterprise, can it?

  19.8.2009 02:42 #3

• gallagher

  Flock already serves this purpose of integrating with the various networking sites.

  19.8.2009 12:09 #4

• emugamer

  Clever marketing tactic - using very similar colors to the firefox logo.

  19.8.2009 12:21 #5

• keith1993

  What's that Marc? You're market share's increasingly shrinking? So you've copied the increasingly popular Google Chrome and started from scratch? I see.

  19.8.2009 16:10 #6

• jimmyboy1

  Nice article, but I thought Jim Clark was the founder and creator of the Netscape Browser.

  20.8.2009 12:15 #7

• TSRSteve

  The logo reminds me of when Vulcan was destroyed by Nero's ship in the new Star Trek film.

  20.8.2009 12:26 #8

• varnull

  Lets look at this name.. netscape.. spun open source into firefox.. which has all kinds of spinoffs.. iceweasel seamonkey sourgrapes hotnuts and who knows how many more variants..
  Guess I know where it's coming from.. probably installs with a "mozilla" directory hidden somewhere. Why don't we all just use lynx and be happy?
  

  
  
  Free open source software = made by end users who want an application to work.
  I would rather you hate me for who I am than love me for what I am not.
  “It is poor civic hygiene to install technologies that could someday facilitate a police state.” - Bruce Schneier

  20.8.2009 12:30 #9

• hermes_vb

  RockMelt? Just call it Lava...

  20.8.2009 14:34 #10

• borhan9

  I would love to be one of the first testers of this new browser.

  21.8.2009 21:00 #11