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Bad Experiences with Netscape 6 Beta
Well, I tried.
I've started using Netscape sometime in 1994 (maybe '95) and resisted all temptations to switch to Internet Explorer until a few months ago. I just got sick of all the crashing and illegal operations. I found versions 4.X, particularly on slower systems, to be bloated, buggy, and unstable, and the source of much aggravation. Despite my discomfort (to say the least) of Microsoft's business practices, I made the switch to IE as my primary browser.
I've kept Netscape on my primary system, have religiously updated it, and even use it now and again. Today, I downloaded the much anticipated beta version of Netscape 6 and installed it on a relatively "bare-bones" system. (Actually, you download a setup program. The bulk of the software is downloaded separately after the setup program is executed.) I chose the full install, and after a lengthy downloading and installation routine, clicked on the Netscape icon and received the following message:
"This program has performed an illegal operation..."
I couldn't even get the browser to open. I rebooted a few times, but any attempt to open the program resulted in the same error message. Attempts to open the only other option, which appeared to be a user profile editing tool, also proved futile. The Netscape screen would briefly pop up, disappear, and that was that. No error message. No nothing.
Yes, I know what a beta release is, and I am fully familiar with the potential consequences of installing evaluation software. It's the reason why I installed it on a system with almost nothing on it. Reinstalling Windows would not have been a major issue.
However, this is the kicker as far as I'm concerned. Although the annoying telephone communications software that installed along with Netscape had an uninstall option, Netscape itself did not.
I checked the Control Panel "Install/Uninstall" option (Netscape 6 was not listed), and looked for in the Start Menu and in the Netscape 6 directory for an uninstall icon or file. I also ran the setup program, hoping to find an uninstall option. None was to be found. Finally, I just deleted the Netscape directory and most of the references to Netscape in the registry.
I'm really disappointed. I've tried almost every Windows version of Netscape since 1.X and even bought a couple of versions. Installing new versions of Netscape has almost become a routine. Again, the fact that I have a conflict is not the issue for me. Beta or not, the lack of an easy uninstall routine is really annoying, and I don't think Netscape can afford this.
By the way, I only read the "readme" file and the FAQ on Netscape's site. There may very well be some reference to my uninstall problem or to a conflict with a device or program I'm using.
Anyway, here's my hardware configuration:
PII 400 MHz
AOpen AX6BC Pro II
G400 Vanilla (PD 5.52)
3Comm NIC
Creative Soundblaster Live MP3
Software Installed:
Windows 98se
SiSoft Sandra 2000
Wingate 3.0 (client)
Winzip 7.0
Creative's player/mixer and that Lava program
Wingate, I think, is a likely co-conspirator, or I could of had a bad install. I would have installed it again if there was an obvious way to uninstall it if my problems persisted.
Paul
paulcs@flashcom.net
I've started using Netscape sometime in 1994 (maybe '95) and resisted all temptations to switch to Internet Explorer until a few months ago. I just got sick of all the crashing and illegal operations. I found versions 4.X, particularly on slower systems, to be bloated, buggy, and unstable, and the source of much aggravation. Despite my discomfort (to say the least) of Microsoft's business practices, I made the switch to IE as my primary browser.
I've kept Netscape on my primary system, have religiously updated it, and even use it now and again. Today, I downloaded the much anticipated beta version of Netscape 6 and installed it on a relatively "bare-bones" system. (Actually, you download a setup program. The bulk of the software is downloaded separately after the setup program is executed.) I chose the full install, and after a lengthy downloading and installation routine, clicked on the Netscape icon and received the following message:
"This program has performed an illegal operation..."
I couldn't even get the browser to open. I rebooted a few times, but any attempt to open the program resulted in the same error message. Attempts to open the only other option, which appeared to be a user profile editing tool, also proved futile. The Netscape screen would briefly pop up, disappear, and that was that. No error message. No nothing.
Yes, I know what a beta release is, and I am fully familiar with the potential consequences of installing evaluation software. It's the reason why I installed it on a system with almost nothing on it. Reinstalling Windows would not have been a major issue.
However, this is the kicker as far as I'm concerned. Although the annoying telephone communications software that installed along with Netscape had an uninstall option, Netscape itself did not.
I checked the Control Panel "Install/Uninstall" option (Netscape 6 was not listed), and looked for in the Start Menu and in the Netscape 6 directory for an uninstall icon or file. I also ran the setup program, hoping to find an uninstall option. None was to be found. Finally, I just deleted the Netscape directory and most of the references to Netscape in the registry.
I'm really disappointed. I've tried almost every Windows version of Netscape since 1.X and even bought a couple of versions. Installing new versions of Netscape has almost become a routine. Again, the fact that I have a conflict is not the issue for me. Beta or not, the lack of an easy uninstall routine is really annoying, and I don't think Netscape can afford this.
By the way, I only read the "readme" file and the FAQ on Netscape's site. There may very well be some reference to my uninstall problem or to a conflict with a device or program I'm using.
Anyway, here's my hardware configuration:
PII 400 MHz
AOpen AX6BC Pro II
G400 Vanilla (PD 5.52)
3Comm NIC
Creative Soundblaster Live MP3
Software Installed:
Windows 98se
SiSoft Sandra 2000
Wingate 3.0 (client)
Winzip 7.0
Creative's player/mixer and that Lava program
Wingate, I think, is a likely co-conspirator, or I could of had a bad install. I would have installed it again if there was an obvious way to uninstall it if my problems persisted.
Paul
paulcs@flashcom.net
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