jwzSep 18, 2025

Netscape Navigator 2.0 was released 30 years ago today.

This version introduced a number of new features:

• Plugins! This was the first time a web page could make sound, via RealAudio.
• Incremental display of progressive JPEGs on slow dialup connections.
• Animated GIFs that were actually useful.
• HTML frames.
• JavaScript! That wasn't my fault, but you still have my apologies.
• And of course my baby, the first release of Netscape Mail and News:

https://jwz.org/b/ykvY

Show threadNick 'The Viking'

@jwz

First browser to have tabs, yeah?

Sep 18, 2025 at 8:33pmWeb
Show threadTrit’Sep 18, 2025
@nlarson830 @jwz Disputed by Opera (the real one using Presto and currently known as Vivaldi), I don’t know which one was the real first to have them.
Show threadTedSep 19, 2025

@nlarson830 there was a browser called InternetWorks that had tabs and panes around 1995, long before others. Unfortunately it didn't keep pace with Netscape and I had to switch for sites to be usable.

I don't think Netscape Navigator ever had tabs, I thought that was a Firefox thing from early 2000s.