This post was last updated on March 12, 2026
Added March 12, 2026: Twenty years later, I hope I’m still keeping up with current technology and nobody thinks I’m the one who’s stuck in the past.
I know someone who insists on using Netscape 4.7 on Mac OS 9.2. Not only that, they insist on telling other people how good Netscape 4.7 is and telling people they should design their sites for Netscape 4.7.
For those of you doing the math, the Netscape 4.x line started in June 1997. The last of the 4.x versions, 4.8, was release in August 2002. Depending on the exact version number Netscape 4.7 was “current” anywhere from September 1999 to November 2001. In early 2003 Apple stopped shipping systems with the option of OS 9.2.
Don’t get me wrong, older technology is great if it’s all you have and it does what you need. I still have Lynx installed on my Windows XP box for testing accessibility. I know the limitations of using a text only browser in 2006. Netscape 4.7 wasn’t even a good browser when it was current.
How do you get someone stuck in the last decade to see the light? There are scores of reasons to move on and sometimes a line must be drawn.