What did Netscape announce about Netscape
Communicator 5.0 source code?
- On January 22, 1998, Netscape announced that
Netscape Communicator Standard Edition 5.0 source code will be freely available
for modification and redistribution. Netscape believes that harnessing
the creative abilities of all Internet developers will be an unprecedented
way to advance the features and quality of Netscape Communicator for all
customers. Detailed license terms, additional information, and a developer
release of Netscape Communicator Standard Edition 5.0 source code is scheduled
to be available by March 31, 1998 from the Netscape DevEdge site at http://developer.netscape.com.
What does giving source code away mean to Netscape's
overall strategy?
- This is good for both Netscape customers and the Internet developer
community. Netscape believes that providing
source code will enable us to:
-
Develop better client software through integration
of enhancements from a broad array of developers
-
Broaden Netscape Communicator distribution by allowing
developers to address markets and needs not currently addressed by Netscape.
- Exactly what source code will be available on
the Net?
- Netscape will make available a developer release
of the source code for the 5.0 version of Netscape Communicator Standard
Edition, which includes Netscape Navigator, by March 31. Please note that
this developer release is intended only for developers, and is not intended
to be an end user beta. Netscape will continue to update the source
code on the Net as features are added. Netscape will not include code developed
by third-parties where Netscape does not have the right to distribute source
code (e.g., third-party plugins) or code which it cannot make available
due to government regulations (e.g., cryptographic security code).
Will there be ongoing R&D on the client
side moving forward or is Netscape giving it up to outside development
on the Net? What is the quality
control Netscape is putting in place for its products?
- Netscape is committed to releasing quality products
and continues to make investments to ensure the highest quality client
products possible. Netscape will continue
to develop, test, document, support, and certify Netscape-branded products
it makes available to customers. However, this move provides Netscape with
a broader audience for feedback, feature enhancements and additional testing
of code. This augments the current development and QA efforts in the client
product division at Netscape and does not replace our efforts.
The press release stated that the license will be "building on the
heritage of the GNU Public License (GPL)". Does this mean it will
be released under the GPL?
- We are still finalizing the details of the license terms and have not
yet settled on a specific licensing agreement. We are evaluating
the GPL agreement, but are also evaluating the BSD and Apache style agreements as well as other potential models.
We're not aware of any prior mainstream commercial product going to free
source, so we are breaking new ground here. But we do have a firm commitment
to make the source freely available, and will attempt to make details of
the license available as soon as possible.
What support will Netscape offer developers?
- Netscape plans to set up a community for developers
to share feature enhancements, ideas, and add-ons in a public forum
on the Netscape DevEdge web site that will also allow developers to download
the source code, receive technical support and collaborate with other developers
in newsgroups. Netscape will provide more detail
about its support offerings for developers when the source code is released
at the end of the quarter.
How will Netscape accept source code modifications
from developers outside the company?
- Netscape is planning to create a group dedicated
to reviewing and accepting source code modifications. Details will
be announced by the time the source code is made available.
What language will the source code be in?
- Netscape Communicator is primarily written in C and C++.
Can Netscape release something now to help people get started?
- Netscape is working as quickly as possible to make preliminary documentation
and source code available by March 31, 1998.
How will the source code be released?
- The source code will be made available for download from DevEdge (http://developer.netscape.com)
or on a CD which developers will be able to order in March from the same
site (note that there may be a nominal charge associated with the CD version).
Will the source code be cross-platform?
- Netscape Communicator is primarily based on a single, cross-platform
codebase. However, initial releases of the source code will likely
focus on Linux, Windows95/NT, and Macintosh PPC.
Does Netscape plan to also release source code for a Java version
of Communicator?
- Netscape will only be releasing source code for the 5.0 version of
Netscape Communicator Standard Edition. Currently, there are no plans to
release source code for a Java version of Communicator.
