Netscape

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. A pioneering software suite designed for browsing the internet and accessing web pages ; a company known for developing early web browsers that popularized graphical internet access ; a brand associated with internet navigation tools that influenced the development of subsequent browsers
2. An early application enabling users to view and interact with content on the World Wide Web ; an organization that played a key role in internet history by introducing user-friendly browsing software ; a name recognized for its contributions to graphical web navigation and online communication
3. Software created to facilitate exploration of online information via graphical interfaces ; a commercial entity that advanced internet usage through innovative browsing technologies ; a term linked with the initial surge of accessible web clients and online information retrieval systems

Etymology: Before it named a browser, the name belonged to a company founded as Mosaic Communications by Marc Andreessen and Jim Clark. It was renamed Netscape Communications, and its flagship program, Netscape Navigator, became one of the most widely used ways to reach the web. The name appears to blend "net" with "scape," a shortening of "landscape." English "landscape" first meant a painted view of scenery, borrowed from Dutch "landschap." The choice suggests that a web page could be a view to be surveyed, though the company's exact reasoning is uncertain.

Synonyms: web browser, internet browser