Netscape Founder Backs New Web Browser, "RockMelt"

When the Internet first launched, Netscape was there. In fact, believe it or not, Netscape Navigator existed before Microsoft's own Internet Explorer. Thanks to that, Netscape enjoyed an incredible market share up until Microsoft's browser, and for the most part, they continued to see a huge user base for years into Windows XP's life, which was around a time when more options were becoming available to consumers.

About thirteen years after the launch of its initial browser, Netscape decided to call it quits, with the final version being 9.0.0.6. Since then, we've continued to see all of the other browsers flourish, with Mozilla's Firefox really on track to become the dominant browser, and Google's Chrome and Apple's Safari beginning to make some headway. So the big question... do we need another? Or should we be pleased with what we have?

Well, according to the founder of Netscape, Marc Andreessen, there's always room for one more browser, as long as it's done right. Marc believes that there is something wrong with all current browsers... none of them were built from the ground up. Firefox, for example, continues to get updates, but it's essentially all done with patches. There might be a major version upgrade, but the back-end will change little, and it certainly won't be entirely re-written to keep up with the times.

It's with this idea that urged him to back a new browser company called RockMelt. He already has a lot of experience with creating a browser from the ground up, and with the experience he's gained since Netscape's beginnings, he no doubt has a clear idea of what needs to be done. Given that browsers like Google Chrome entered the game late and are still enjoying nice growth, I'm not going to be too quick to discredit any new entrant, especially with what seems to have good goals behind it. I can't seem to be satisfied with any web browser lately, so I say bring it on.

Mr. Andreessen’s backing is certain to make RockMelt the focus of intense attention. For now, the company is keeping a lid on its plans. On the company’s Web site, the corporate name and the words “coming soon” are topped by a logo of the earth, with cracks exposing what seems to be molten lava from the planet’s core. A privacy policy on the site, which was removed after a reporter made inquiries to Mr. Vishria, indicates the browser is intended to be coupled somehow with Facebook. Mr. Andreessen serves as a director of Facebook.

Quake Live to Open Up to Linux and Mac OS X Gamers

1999 was a great year for multiple reasons, but the main reason it might linger in some gamer's minds is because right before we entered Y2K, id Software released its highly-anticipated Quake III. Surprisingly, both the Windows and Linux versions became available at roughly the same time, so gamers all over could get their frag on, in beautiful fully-accelerated OpenGL.

The cool thing about Q3, aside from the stellar gameplay, is that even upon its release, it ran quite well on most any current machine at the time, as long as it was equipped with a 3D accelerator card. That to me, was truly amazing, because while I don't recall what GPU I had at the time, I remember being incredibly impressed that it ran as well as it did. After all, for months leading up to its release, the graphics seemed to be the focal point, so I had assumed that nothing less than a bleeding-edge machine could handle it. I was wrong, thankfully.

With such a highly-optimized game, nearing 10-years in age, it's no surprise that id decided to bring the game to everyone's web browser, and that they did last year, with an open beta which began earlier this year for Windows users. Because id highly regards alternate operating systems, we all knew it'd only be a matter of time before we'd see a Linux and Mac OS X variant, and apparently, that time is just about upon us.

According to gaming site 1UP, the update will be applied in tomorrow's patch, as was discovered during this past weekend's QuakeCon. As a Linux user, I can't express how great this news is. I have yet to actually touch Quake Live, so I'm happy I'll soon be able to in my OS of choice. It seems like the perfect occasional distraction. I'll be sure to follow-up in our forums once I can give it a try.

Mac and Linux versions of the client are available for users to play on the show floor. Non-attendees will be able to check out the update when it launches this Tuesday, August 18th. I guess fans of BeOS will have to wait just a little bit longer to join in the fun.

Tech Roundup - August 17, 2009

Motherboards & Processors
• ASUS M4A79T Deluxe - Bjorn3D
• ASUS Rampage II GENE - Overclockers Club
• Phenom II vs Core i7: Gaming Value Comparison - PureOverclock

Displays & Video Cards
• ATI Catalyst vs. NVIDIA ForceWare VGA Performance in Win 7 - TweakTown
• MSI N275GTX Lightning GTX 275 1792MB - techPowerUp

Memory & Storage
• G.Skill Trident 6GB PC3-16000 CL9 DDR3 - Hardware Canucks
• Verbatim 4GB Store 'n' Go Micro USB Drive - ModSynergy

Peripherals & Gadgets
• Headphone-Specific Audio Cards: ASUS v. Auzentech - Tech Report
• Zowie P-RF Mousing Surface - DragonSteelMods

Cooling
• 3RSystem Iceage 80 Prima Mini CPU Cooler - FrostyTech
• Cooler Master Hyper N620 CPU Cooler - Modders-Inc
• Cooler Master TX3 Low Cost CPU Cooler - Pro-Clockers

Chassis & Power Supplies
• Corsair Obsidian Series 800D Chassis - Legit Reviews
• In Win X-Fighter Mini-Tower Chassis - TweakTown
• SilverStone SG06 ITX Chassis - Pro-Clockers
• SilverStone Strider 850W Power Supply - Technic3D
• Thermaltake Luxa2 LM100 Mini Chassis - techPowerUp
• Tuniq Potency 550W Power Supply - Tech-Reviews

Competitions, Complete Systems & Et cetera
• Back to School Gift Guide - Digital Trends
• BlackBerry Curve 8520 Cell Phone - Digital Trends