The latest version of Netscape's integrated Internet access package is more than an update; it's a total rewrite. With this level of rewrite comes a few bugs and back-steps, but Netscape 6 also brings a significant new level of customisation possibilities.

You can tailor this version of Netscape to a greater degree than any other Internet access software currently available. All aspects of Netscape 6 have been redone, but we will restrict this discussion to the browser and email components.

A Whole New Look
The first thing you notice about Netscape 6 is that it has a more modern look. But this look is just the beginning. You can change the appearance of the Netscape interface by installing various themes, which can radically alter Netscape's personality.

If you click on View | Apply Theme | Get New Themes, you are taken to Netscape's Web site, where additional themes are available for download. You can also create your own themes, changing window colours and even layouts. You can modify the sound effects and even the warning messages produced by various tasks. You can find more information on creating themes at http://home.netscape.com/themes/createtheme.html.

As attractive as the new Modern theme is, there are a few glitches that can pop up when you're using it. For example, the browser attempts to complete URLs automatically as you enter them, based on your browsing his tory. That feature is controlled by a button in the dialog you access via Edit | Preferences | Navigator | Smart Browsing. Although you can see the description of the auto-complete button, the button itself isn't there! If you drag the bottom of the window down, making it larger, the button comes into view and you can activate this helpful feature.

The Sidebar Mini Browser
The second thing you notice about Netscape 6 is the My Sidebar panel at the left side of the window. The sidebar is effectively a mini browser, offering access to dozens of Web pages designed to fit this narrow format.

The Search tab shows the power of the sidebar. Search results appear in the sidebar, letting you select a link that then displays in the main window. Thus you can try other possibilities easily, without losing track of the original results. You don't have to enter the search in the tab, either. The field where you would normally enter a URL now serves as a search keyword field as well. The Search tab in the sidebar is activated when you enter a search term and results are displayed in the sidebar. You can change the engine that Netscape uses for these on-the-fly searches by clicking on Edit | Preferences and selecting Navigator | Internet Search.

Going beyond appearance, Netscape 6 lets you customise the sidebar area -- a very powerful feature. You can access key information without abandoning the Web page in your main window just by a clicking a tab. Clicking on Tabs shows you a range of installed sidebar tabs; you decide which to display. You can also customise the sidebar by installing additional tabs.

You are not restricted to the tabs included with Netscape, either. Surf to http://search.netscape.com/mysidebar.tmpl and you'll find hundreds of additional tabs. You can even create your own sidebar tabs if, for example, you want to improve information flow to a corporation's employees and customers.

You may find that you've chosen so many tabs that they crowd the sidebar window and aren't easily distinguished. You can double the amount of space available by displaying a different set of tabs in the mail window than you do in the browser windows.

Remembering Personal Information
Netscape 6 also can remember your personal information and fill out Web forms automatically. The Form Manager (click on Edit | Preferences and select Advanced | Forms to activate and edit stored information) creates a table of your personal information and how that information maps to the forms displayed at Web sites. Right-click on any page that contains a form and you can save the form data you have entered or fill out the form based on information you have already stored. Netscape includes a nice security feature, displaying all the form data -- even pieces that an unscrupulous Web designer may have hidden on the form -- so you can see (and control) how much personal information will be sent.

Netscape also offers a password manager that can store your passwords for restricted sites. This is optional, of course, and if more than one person uses your computer, you can protect the stored passwords by clicking on Tasks | Privacy and Security | Password Manager | Encrypt Sensitive Information. When a Web site asks for your password, you give Netscape your decryption code and the password manager fills in the password.

Multiple Accounts, Instant Messages
Many people have more than one email account to keep track of. Netscape 6 makes this easier by letting you consolidate all of your email accounts (as long as they're accessible via POP or IMAP). In the mail window, click on Edit | Mail | New Account Settings and you will see a button marked New Account. A wizard guides you through account setup, and you can check all of your mail without leaving the Netscape window.

AOL's purchase of Netscape means AOL Instant Messenger and Buddy List functions are now tightly integrated into Netscape. In fact, the Buddy List is available as a tab in the sidebar, so you can be notified when friends are online and communicate with them even if you don't have the AOL software installed.

Putting Cookies on a Diet
The new Cookie Manager gives you much tighter control over cookies (bits of code that Web sites place on your system to be retrieved later; cookies are often used to collect information about you). You can designate which Web sites are allowed to store cookies on your system.

If you prefer, you can instruct Netscape to learn your cookie preferences. Click on Edit | Preferences and select Advanced | Cookies, then click on Warn me before storing a cookie. When a site tries to store a new cookie or update an existing cookie, Netscape asks if you want to permit it. If you tell Netscape to remember that decision, you will never be asked again about cookie settings or updates from that site; Netscape handles the process automatically.

Other Suggestions
Netscape 6 does not store your history information by default. Should you want to be able to see "that page I went to last Thursday," click on Edit | Preferences and select Navigator | History. You can then set the number of days for which history information should be retained.

Another default setting gathers the addresses of all email messages you receive and adds them to your address book, which is great if you expect to write back to most of the people who send you mail. But if you are on a lot of mailing lists, your address book can become cluttered quickly. That may not seem like a problem, but when you start to address a new email, the address auto-complete feature presents you with a long list of unwanted addresses rather than those you need. To stop this automatic storage, click on Edit | Preferences and select Mail and Newsgroups | Address Books. You can then de-select email address collection.

If you have to use other people's computers a lot, you're probably using a Web-based email service that can be accessed through any browser. If you use Netscape Netcentre for email, Netscape 6 allows you to synchronise your local address book with the one you have stored at Netcentre, letting you access your contacts as easily as you can access email. From your home computer, click on Tasks | Address Book and select File | Sync Netscape Address Book to activate this feature.

Making It Your Own
Putting all of this together, Netscape 6 lets you personalise your Internet access tools far more thoroughly than ever before. And isn't being able to access what you want, when you want it, and how you want it what the Internet is all about?

Tailoring Netscape 6 for Your Company
Creating your own sidebar tabs lets you provide quick access to important information for your customers and employees. Remember to keep displayed information brief and graphics small enough for the sidebar window (you're safest if you keep things no wider than 120 pixels), but other than that, there are no restrictions on what you can include.

You can use CDD, DOM, HTML 4, MIME, RDF, and XML in a sidebar tab. In fact, using META refresh instructions is ideal for keeping your tab updated. Use the target= 'content' tag in any links on the tab, so that the link is activated in the main window.

You install your new tab using the JavaScript addPanel method. Surf to http://home.netscape.com/sidebar/how.html for more details on creating your own sidebar tab.

Creating your own theme is also a great way to tailor Netscape 6 for your organisation. You can go even further in creating your own version of Netscape 6 (even packaging your own installation program) by using the Client Customisation Kit available free at http://home.netscape.com/browsers/6/cck.

Expanding Your Search Range
The Search tab built into My Sidebar is a handy way to locate information on the Web, but some popular search engines (such as Northern Light and Yahoo!) aren't included. You can add additional search engines to the tab, though, and here's how.

Macintosh users will be familiar with Sherlock, a search format that allows a common interface to many different Web sites. You can add any search engine to the Netscape sidebar as long as you can find a Sherlock (SRC) file for that engine. A good place to look is http://www.apple-donuts.com/sherlocksearch, where you will find Sherlock files for a number of search sites that Netscape didn't include.

Once you have downloaded the file, you will have to expand it from its compressed form. Because Sherlock is a product of the Apple world, the files are in StuffIt, rather than Zip, format. You'll need a utility like MindExpander (download now) to convert the Macintosh files if you're using a PC.

Move the expanded Sherlock file into the \Netscape6\searchplugins directory. Apple machines use a different text file format than PCs, so you may have to edit the Sherlock file. Open the file in Notepad and replace all the solid block characters with carriage returns. You may also want to create a small icon that will appear beside the name of your chosen search engine. If Netscape sees a GIF file with the same name as the .src file in the search plugins directory, that icon will display automatically.

Once you have closed and reopened Netscape, your new location appears under All Engines. You can then edit your search categories and add the new location to the list.

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