SAN MATEO (11-29-95) - To hear some tell it, the World Wide Web is signaling a quick end to today's client operating systems and PC hardware. In reality, you're probably safe with that new Pentium PC or Macintosh application -- for at least a few more years. But to see how seriously you need to integrate the Internet into your organization's future communications and marketing plans, consider just two of the hundreds of recent Internet-related stories.
IBM Chairman Louis Gerstner announced in his Comdex keynote speech on Nov. 13 that the company plans to market in 1996 a new computing device: an Internet station. A day earlier, Microsoft Corp.'s chief strategist Nathan Myhrvold said in a New York Times Magazine article, "The notion that you would do a task on the desktop with desktop software in a few years that didn't involve the Internet is just ludicrous."
What binds all these thoughts, plans, and visions is Internet connectivity software. And right now no company does it better than Netscape Communications Corp. Microsoft, Oracle Corp., and a few dozen other companies hope their products will compete with Netscape Navigator 2.0, but Netscape has been the most aggressive in introducing new features and pushing them as standards.
Navigator 2.0 extends its traditional performance strengths. Of the many browsers I use, it is the fastest in downloading and displaying documents, especially over low-speed modem lines. A number of new features promise additional performance boosts. For example, developers can employ client-side image maps. Put simply, when you click on an image, the commands don't need to travel back to the server to execute; instead, the links are processed locally.
With Version 2.0, Netscape includes fine E-mail functions. I embedded Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) pages into my mail messages. Similarly, I sent attached Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) files, such as a word processing document. You can also read MIME attachments without special decoding.
One of the biggest limitations of HTML and most browser software is lack of formatting control. Sure, many page designs employ tables and other tricks to keep text and graphics aligned. Navigator 2.0 let me create multiple frames on a single screen. These weren't any more difficult to code than tables -- but immensely more helpful in presenting information. For example, I kept one frame static with a menu graphic while other frames displayed documents from different Web sites.
Perhaps the most exciting addition to Navigator 2.0 involves object embedding. Although many plug-ins were not available for testing, Adobe Systems Inc., Macromedia Inc., and others are readying viewers. You'll have the ability, say, to read an Adobe Acrobat document or play a Director movie without jumping to a helper application.
Support for Sun Microsystems Inc.'s Java applets already works. This turns Navigator into a serious, platform-independent application delivery system. The early Java programs are elementary, but it's easy to see the potential for any Web application that requires live updating, such as real-time sports scoring or database inquiries.
Real or perceived, there remains the nagging question of Internet security. That won't be answered right away, but Netscape is trying to put earlier problems aside by incorporating the Secure Courier open protocol. The idea is to create a secure digital envelope for financial and other sensitive data transmission.
If you're developing Web content, Navigator's popularity forces some tough decisions. At the top of the list: Do you design pages using Navigator 2.0 extensions to attract the majority of users, yet shut out others? Most likely, you'll do just that, because Navigator 2.0 offers impressive new capabilities to design and view Web content.
The Bottom Line
Netscape Navigator 2.0
Navigator continues to set the standards for World Wide Web client software, and Version 2.0 will likely extend Netscape's dominance in the Web publishing market.
Pros: Fast performance over modem connections; integrated E-mail functions; enhanced security for encrypted data transfer; extensive layout controls, including frames; in-line plug-ins to view static and multimedia documents within Navigator.
Cons: None significant.
Netscape Communications Corp., Mountain View, Calif.; (415) 528-2555; E-mail: info@netscape.com; World Wide Web: http://www.netscape.com
Price: US$49.
Platform: Windows 3.x, Windows 95, Windows NT, Macintosh, Unix.
[Copyright 1995 InfoWorld (US), International Data Group Inc. All rights reserved.]