Netscape
Communications Corp. Tuesday announced new technology,
code-named NGT, which will serve as the foundation for all of its future
client releases.
Netscape said NGT will result in smaller, faster, modular applications for
a variety of computing platforms, devices and information appliances. NGT’s
new browser engine will allow the company to quickly develop new browser
interfaces that will work across a variety of computer platforms.
According to Netscape, the layout engine acts as the “brain” inside a Web
browser, interpreting data from Internet sites and displaying content on a
user’s screen. The new engine will improve
the efficiency of displaying Web content while providing support for
industry standards such as HTML 4.0, cascading style sheets, document
object model, resource description framework and XML.
These standards are fully supported in the NGT browser engine and
development tools and in Netcenter.
NGT will also offer the ability to build new application user interfaces
once, regardless of platform, using Web standards such as HTML or XML to
create elements such as toolbars and buttons. This enables use of the same
interface across multiple computing operating platforms, helping to speed
application development.
NGT’s development has evolved in tandem with Netscape’s Open Source
project, Mozilla.org, employing
feedback and contributions from developers internationally. Developers can
access the source code for NGT technologies and contribute to its ongoing
development and testing through the Mozilla.org Web site.
“Netscape’s revolutionary next generation technology is at the heart of our
future client products,” said Bob Lisbonne, senior vice president of
Netscape client products. “The result will be open source, standards-based
browser products that are smaller and faster than today’s products.”
