Netscape Communications Corp has delivered the first version of next-generation browsing engine Netscape Gecko, formerly known as NGLayout or by its codename, Raptor. Gecko is the first product Netscape has shipped that is based on open source software developed through mozilla.org. It’s an important product, too. The Gecko browsing engine will lie at the heart of future versions of Navigator and Communicator. Weighing in under 14 MB, it fits on a single floppy disk, making it attractive for use in smaller consumer devices without the memory to spare for a fully-featured browser. Gecko is also said to be faster than Netscape’s old layout engine. With a nod to the activists at the Web Standards Project, who credit themselves with persuading Netscape to take NGLayout more seriously (CI No 3,536), Gecko supports Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), HTML 4.0, the Document Object Model (DOM 1), the Resource Description Framework (RDF) and Extensible Markup Language (XML). By harnessing the talent of thousands of developers worldwide, mozilla.org has accelerated internet software development even beyond internet time, the company said in a statement. Development on Gecko will continue. Corporate IT shops using Gecko will have complete access to the modular source code. They will also have the freedom to modify it, make changes as necessary and build customized versions for their own and others’ use.
