Netscape 6 Release Notes
Netscape 6 Release Notes
These release notes, last updated February 7, 2001, describe known issues for Netscape 6, versions 6.0 and 6.01. These notes are updated as we receive feedback, so please check back for new information.
For more information, visit mozilla.org and read the latest Mozilla release notes.
Solutions to some common problems with Netscape 6 can be found at the Netscape Support site. Click here to see if your problem is described.
If you are upgrading from Communicator 4.x to Netscape 6 or 6.01, you can find information about the new features and the upgrade process at http://home.netscape.com/browsers/upgrade.html.
Contents
What's New in Netscape 6
For details, see What's New in Netscape 6?
What's New in Version 6.01
System Requirements
All Platforms
To view and use the new streamlined "Modern" theme, your display monitor should be set to display thousands of colors. For users who cannot set their displays to use more than 256 colors, Netscape recommends using the "Classic" theme for Netscape 6.
To select the Classic theme after you have installed Netscape 6:
Mac OS
Windows
Unix
Compatibility Information
If you have the Crescendo 5.01 plug-in, you must update to the latest version of Crescendo. Otherwise, Netscape 6 may crash at startup.
If you are using an ATI Rage video card, images are correctly displayed initially, but may not be properly re-drawn when you minimize and maximize or resize the window.
Problem have been reported running Outlook 2000 (not Outlook Express) with Netscape 6. If you experience problems, be sure you have any recent updates to Outlook 2000. If problems persist, quit Outlook 2000 before starting Netscape 6.
If you use True Type fonts with Netscape 6, some characters are displayed as squares.
Mac OS
QuickTime is required before installing Netscape 6. If QuickTime is disabled, Netscape 6 will not start.
There is a known conflict with Adobe Type Manager, which causes windows to appear blank. Workaround: Uninstall ATM before you start Netscape 6.
If you have version 5.5 (or earlier) of Stuffit Expander may see an error message stating that the archive is corrupted. You can ignore the message and continue with the installation. To get a newer version of Stuffit Expander, go to http://www.aladdinsys.com/expander/expander_mac_login.html
If you attempt to run Netscape 6 on Mac OS using a language pack (such as the Japanese Language Pack) and a Language Kit, all menu bar items will be incorrectly displayed. To resolve this problem, register Netscape 6 using the Language Register. For instance, if you're using the Japanese Language Pack and the Japanese Language Kit, register Netscape 6 as a JA application.
If you use the SmoothType control panel instead of Apple's "Smooth all fonts on screen" option in the Appearance control panel, you need SmoothType version 2.1.1 for Netscape 6. Netscape 6 is not compatible with earlier versions of SmoothType, and some pages may be improperly drawn. To get an update, go to http://www.kaleidoscope.net/greg/smoothtype.html.
In Netscape Mail, the import utility supports only Eudora and text files.
Linux
Netscape 6 requires glibc 2.1 or later.
If you have Red Hat Linux 6.0, you can't launch Netscape 6 if Java 2 is installed. The problem doesn't occur with Red Hat 6.1.
To run Netscape 6 on SuSe Linux 6.2, you must install the file libjpeg.so.62 available here.
Netscape 6 does not work with Microsoft Proxy server version 2.0.
Installation Notes
Installing Netscape 6.01 in the same directory as Mozilla results in a crash. Workaround: Uninstall any Mozilla builds before installing 6.01 or install 6.01 to a different directory than a Mozilla build.
When you install Netscape 6 in a directory or folder that already contains an earlier version of Netscape 6 (Preview Release 1, 2, or 3), a dialog box appears recommending that you delete the older version of Netscape 6. Your profile information is unaffected and will not be deleted if you choose Delete. For almost all users, choosing Delete is a safe and preferred option. You only need to be concerned about losing profile information if you moved your Preview Release profile to a subdirectory of the Netscape 6 folder (profile information is stored elsewhere by default).
If you are installing Netscape 6 on a multi-user operating system such as Linux, Unix, or Windows 2000, you should install it separately in the user directory of each user who plans to use Netscape 6. If you install Netscape 6 in a shared write-protected directory, it may not run properly.
When you install language packs (.xpi files), downloading pauses until you click the browser's Stop button.
(Windows) If you have previously installed Netscape 6 and/or Netscape Personal Security Manager, search your drives for psm.exe, and delete the folder that it resides in and all its subfolders before installing Netscape 6.
(Windows) Installing Java with low disk space may cause the Installer to hang. Before you begin installing Netscape 6 with Java, be sure to check your disk space (see System Requirements.)
If you are updating from the PR3 version of Netscape 6, and you used a third-party theme in PR3, Netscape 6 will crash.
Installing on Windows
Note: For Windows 2000 and Windows NT systems, you must have Administrator privileges to install Netscape 6. If you see an "Error 5" message during installation, log on with Administrator privileges and try installing again.
Note: The installer adds a Netscape 6 folder to your c:\Program Files\Netscape directory.
Installing on Mac OS
You may experience a crash during the first attempt to install Netscape 6. Subsequent installs will be successful.
By default, the download file (compressed, in .bin format) is downloaded to your desktop. If the downloaded file does not expand automatically, you must expand the file using a program such as StuffIt Expander. If you don't have StuffIt Expander, click here to get a copy.
Note: If nothing happens when you click the Continue button on the Welcome screen of the installer, you may have other programs open. Be sure to close all programs before proceeding with installing Netscape 6.
Installing on Linux
Before installing on Linux, you must have write permission for the target installation directory.
For RedHat version 7, you must install the Standard C++ libraries for Red Hat 6.2 backwards compatibility. You can find the package on the RedHat 7 installation CD here.
You must run Netscape 6 at least once to complete autoregistration and for the component.reg file to be written to the installation directory. If a different user (other than the person who installed the product) runs the program first, a core dump will occur.
The Special Features links on the Activation page work slowly and intermittently.
Known Problems
General
If you change the bit depth (number of colors) in your monitor settings, Netscape 6 may not adjust to the new setting.
(Windows) Launching Netscape 6 a second time, while Netscape 6 is already running, does not cause a new Netscape 6 window to open. Workaround: click on an open Netscape window and press Ctrl-1. If Netscape is still running but has no windows open, press ctrl-alt-del first.
Alt-click (Option-click on Mac OS) on a link does not cause the linked file to be saved. Some web sites may prompt you to do this, but it won't work with Netscape 6. Instead, go to the linked page and save it directly.
Keyboard and Mouse
Keyboard shortcuts are not fully implemented. Some shortcuts for editing (for instance, for cutting or copying text) do not work in certain dialog boxes. Several keyboard shortcuts for menu items do not work.
(Linux) Keyboard shortcuts on Linux now use Control instead of Alt as the modifier key, while Alt is used for menu shortcuts. If you wish to modify these shortcut keys, edit your prefs.js file as follows:
user_pref("ui.key.accelKey", 18);
This changes the accelerator key from Control (17) to Alto (18)
user_pref("ui.key.menuAccessKey", 0);
This changes the menu access key from Alt (18) to none
Mousewheel scrolling
Unix: You must have your X server properly configured. For XFree86, add a line to the Pointer section of your XF86Config files such as "ZAxisMapping 4 5". Also be sure that the Protocol line is set up correctly for your mouse.
Windows: Mousewheel scrolling does not work with all drivers. If you have problems, try updating your driver or disabling any "helper" programs that your mouse uses. Also, mousewheel scrolling will not work if you have the scrolling set to "full-page mode" in the Control Panel.
Mac OS: Mousewheel scrolling (for USB mice) is not yet implemented for Mac OS. (Fixed in version 6.01.)
Dialog Boxes and Windows
If Netscape 6 is locked up but doesn't seem to have crashed, make sure there are no dialog boxes still open. Close each window on your desktop one at a time and if you uncover a dialog window, dismiss it. If you have multiple desktops repeat these steps for each desktop.
This problem may affect Linux users downloading plugins. Follow these steps to resolve the problem:
Form Manager
Form Manager is not fully implemented in the Japanese version of Netscape 6.
Fonts
Many Linux systems (in particular, Redhat systems) have bad Arial fonts. If many web pages, especially those using the Arial font, look unclear, small, or hard to read, the following links explain two ways you can change your font server to get better Arial fonts: http://home.c2i.net/dark/linux.html#ttf http://home.c2i.net/dark/linux.html#fuzzy
If that doesn't work, you may be able to fix the problem by renaming or removing /usr/share/fonts/ISO8859-2. For instance, do this: mv /usr/share/fonts/ISO8859-2 /usr/share/fonts.ISO8859-2
and then log out of Linux and log back in again. You can always undo this, if necessary, with the command: mv /usr/share/fonts.ISO8859-2 /usr/share/fonts/ISO8859-2
Setting Profiles
If you have a single profile from Communicator version 4.5 or later, that profile is automatically copied and converted for use with Netscape 6. Profiles from earlier Netscape versions cannot be converted.
If you have multiple profiles to copy and convert, the profile manager dialog box appears. Click the profile you want to use, then click Start.
If problems occur during installation and your Communicator profile was not copied and converted, you can still use your profile. Launch Netscape 6 from the command line, appending the "-installer" option (that is, type "netscp6.exe-installer" on the command line.) Or re-install Netscape 6 to see the profile manager dialog again.
(Linux) If you are unable to migrate a Communicator profile, check the /tmp directory and remove any prefs.js file that you find.
Navigator
Gopher URLs are not supported.
SOCKS V4 is not supported.
The Keywords pull-down menu is not fully implemented in the Japanese version of Netscape 6.
The "View Frame Source" feature is not available from the View menu; however, it is available in the context menu. To see the context menu, put the mouse pointer in the frame and click the right mouse button (Control-click on the Mac OS).
Several features of Page Information are not yet available: the File MIME Type, Source, Local cache file, Content length, Expires, Charset, and Security. Also, you cannot view information on frames, XML pages, or FTP pages.
Accessing Pages
(Windows 98) Secure (https) sites that contain many image files my load very slowly.
Some secure (https) web sites are not TLS compatible. TLS is the new version of SSL. If you are having trouble reaching a particular secure web site, try turning off TLS for that site:
Netscape 6 may not be able to connect to some secure (https) IBM web servers. This is a problem with the servers' software, not with Netscape 6.
(Linux)You can't view hidden files or directories (such as .netscape) using Netscape 6.
If you use "Last page visited" as your Home (starting) page, if the last page you viewed had frames, it may not be displayed correctly when you next restart Netscape 6.
If you browse a local directory that contains a file with ".." (two or more dots) in its name, not all the files in the directory will be listed.
Netscape 6 sometimes fails to pick up video from web pages that specify specific ports.
Downloading Files
You cannot download multiple files simultaneously using FTP.
The original extension of a file that you download may be changed. To work around this, make a note of the original extension, and then rename it to change it back.
Bookmarks
Do not copy and paste a bookmark folder into itself; this may cause the folder to be deleted.
You cannot permanently delete the IE Favorites bookmarks folder.
Proxies
Automatic proxy configuration (PAC files) is not supported. Your browser will appear to be unresponsive and unable to retrieve any URLs.
If you migrate a Communicator 4 profile that used automatic proxy configuration, your NS 6 profile will attempt to use auto proxy as well; however, auto proxy is not supported. Workaround: In the Proxies preferences panel, deselect "Automatic proxy configuration URL."
View Source
To view frame source, point to the frame and click the right mouse button (Control-click on Mac OS), then choose View Frame Source from the context menu.
Page content generated by an online form isn't correctly reflected in the view source window.
(Mac OS) The horizontal scrollbar in the view source window might be missing. Resize the window to see the scrollbar.
Mail and News
You must complete Mail's account setup before you compose a new message. Failure to do so may result in difficulty in closing the message composition or other open mail windows.
(Linux) You may encounter problems if you install Netscape in a root user environment then run as another user. Problems include saving to Sent folder, Drafts, Templates or general authentication problems.
In the Mail/News Account Settings: Server Settings dialog box, any changes you make to local directory settings won't take effect until you exit and re-start Netscape 6.
Undo/Redo and Stop may not always work as expected.
Delete Message doesn't always work when you're using Next Unread Message. Try clicking the message again to enable Delete.
Lines of text are sometimes dropped when printing multiple-page messages. To be safe, print multiple-page messages one page at a time.
Many commands don't work in the stand-alone message window. This window opens when you double-click a message in the main mail window.
To change or view the correct online/offline state go to the Navigator window. Mail and News windows and dialogs will always show an online state.
Netscape 6 does not warn the user of a low disk space condition. Some symptoms you may see are:
AOL Mail and Netscape WebMail Accounts
To use a new folder for a Netscape WebMail account, including new folders you create while viewing WebMail through the browser, you must quit and then re-launch Netscape 6.
Netscape 6 mail supports second level subfolders for webmail accounts, even though webmail accessed through the the browser supports only first level folders. If you create second level webmail folders in Netscape 6, and later view your webmail account through the browser, you won't see your second level folders.
The only valid delete setting for AOL and Netscape WebMail accounts is "Delete Immediately." This setting is on for these account types by default.
If you cancel or dismiss the Netscape WebMail or AOL mail login dialog box, or enter an incorrect (or empty) password, the cursor appears busy until you select another folder or click Get Msg. If you are using Netscape WebMail, you can get back to the login dialog box to enter a correct password by closing and then restarting Netscape Mail.
Message Filters
Some filter criteria choices are not actually available. If you select an unimplemented filter criterion when creating a new filter or editing an existing one, you may see odd dialog behavior and the filter will not work as expected. If you migrate a Netscape Communicator message filter specifying an unimplemented criterion, you will experience similar problems.
No warning is given if you rename or delete a folder specified as a message filter destination. You must edit the filter to select a new destination folder; otherwise the filter will not work as expected.
Receiving and Reading Messages
Not all of the choices offered in the Search Messages window are implemented or valid for certain mail folder or newsgroup selections.
If you view messages by thread and you delete a message having one or more replies, the replies may be re-sorted to another place in the message list.
You may not see the message header (From, Subject, Date, To, Cc, and so forth) when you read messages. This problem often occurs when you switch mail folders or newsgroups. To see headers, resize the window or the message content pane.
If the context menu "Open message in new window" does not work while the message pane is closed, try opening the message pane and closing it while a message is selected, or press Enter to open the selected message in a new window.
Attachments
Don't try to download multiple attachments simultaneously. Download them one at a time.
In some cases you can't view more than one HTML/web page attachment to a message in the mail window. The attachments will not all be shown or you may experience a crash when attempting to display them.
A crash may occur if you try to open or save a message attachment of a content type unknown to Netscape 6.
(Mac only) AppleDouble attachments are not encoded properly when sent or saved. Files may be corrupted and rendered unusable.
Composing Messages
You can't forward a message that has a signature file containing the HTML tag <div class="signature">.
Netscape Address Book
Mailing lists are not supported in the Address Book Sync feature.
The Address Book Sync feature will work only with the Personal Address Book.
If Netscape Webmail activation fails, the information required for Address Book Sync functionality may not be inserted into the prefs.js file, and the sync feature will not be enabled. Workaround: add these two lines to the prefs.js file:
user_pref("mail.is_a_franklin_user", true); user_pref("mail.absync.firsttime", true);
Note: The prefs.js file is located in the Users50 directory for Windows or Mac, and in the .mozilla directory on Linux.
An imported Netscape Communicator address book will appear in Netscape 6 as a separate address book. It will not be merged with or appear as your Personal Address Book. If you wish the imported address book to be your Personal Address Book, do this:
Pop and IMAP
If your user name (not to be confused with your email address) contains "@", you must add the following line to your "prefs.js" file before Mail will work properly.
user_pref ("mail.allow_at_sign_in_user_name", true);
Note: Your prefs.js file is located in the Users50 directory on Windows and Mac OS, and in the .mozilla directory on Linux.
You must exit and restart Netscape to see the effect of a change to the option: "show All IMAP mail folders" or "show only subscribed IMAP mail folders." To access this option, click the Advanced button in the Server section of the Account Settings dialog box.
In the Mail/News Account Settings: Server Settings dialog box, "Clean up ("Expunge") Inbox on Exit" does not work when the pop-up menu is set to "Mark it as deleted." Instead, open the File menu and choose Compact This Folder.
In the Mail/News Account Settings: Server Settings dialog box, if the pop-up menu is set to "Mark it as deleted," you may experience problems with message filters that move messages to other folders. You may see duplicates of filtered messages, or filtered messages may disappear and reappear when switching folders. To minimize problems, frequently compact the Inbox (open the File menu and choose Compact Folder).
Mail notification may cause Netscape to freeze if you lose your server connection. To change your notification preference:
"Copy to Sent Folder" may fail if your Sent folder is located on an IMAP server. To avoid this problem, put your Sent folder under "Local Folders." To change to Local Folders:
News
When you migrate a secure news account from Netscape Communicator to Netscape 6, or when you add a secure newsgroup account, you can't access the newsgroup server and read messages until you edit the server's account settings. Do this:
The Subscribe dialog box may not work with news servers that require authentication. If you open a password-protected newsgroup you may be prompted more than once for the username and password combination.
Using drag and drop to copy news messages to a folder within a POP mail account or "Local Folders" does not work. You will see "Unknown Error" when trying to select the copy in the mail folder. Instead, use the File button or Open the Message menu and choose Copy Message.
Netscape Instant Messenger
Setup
The Setup Wizard allows you to choose Finish even when you have not entered a screen name. Also, if Instant Messenger detects a previously installed version of Instant Messenger, you may be unable to enter new screen name during setup. In either case, when the Instant Messenger sign-on screen reappears, type your screen name and password in the appropriate fields.
The Setup Wizard might not find all of your buddy names when migrating from a previous version on AOL Instant Messenger on the same computer.
You cannot automatically move your buddy lists from AOL Instant Messenger to Netscape Instant Messenger except for the list for the single screen name you provide when using Netscape Instant Messenger Setup. To move an additional buddy list after completing setup, export the list from AOL Instant Messenger and import it to Netscape Instant Messenger.
When directed to the AIM Registration URL during setup, resize the default browser window to complete the registration process.
Signing On
If you see a JavaScript error when you attempt to sign on, make sure your Connection preferences are set correctly. The default server host should be set to login.oscar.aol.com, and the port should be set to 5190.
General
AIM URLs, which are links beginning with aim: that open instant message windows and chat rooms in AOL Instant Messenger (including AOL Instant Messenger), are not supported in Netscape 6.
Open Chat and Instant Message session windows do not close automatically and become inactive (they cannot send or receive messages) when you sign off and sign on using a different screen name.
Tooltips do not work.
Warning levels for users are not displayed in the Instant Message window status bar.
If you minimize an Instant Message window, the window does not automatically reopen if you double-click the same buddy's name in your buddy list.
If you open an Instant Message window, and the buddy to whom you intended to send the message sends you a message first, your buddy's message does not appear. Once you send the buddy your instant message, subsequent messages from the buddy appear.
Creating and Formatting Messages
Tabbing from the To field to the compose window does not work.
Using Messenger with Netscape Mail
If you try to log in to your Webmail or AOL mail account but fail (because of an incorrect password), you are logged off of Instant Messenger, and you will need to log back in.
The Instant Messenger presence icons may appear inconsistently in the Mail read pane.
To send an instant message in Mail, you must right-click (Control-click on the Mac OS) the name or email address of your buddy. Clicking the Instant Messenger icon has no effect.
The Instant Messenger presence icons in Mail do not show the state of the buddy (active or away).
Display Problems
Background colors in the Instant Message compose window do not work correctly. Text colors also do not work correctly: When you select a text color, it resets to black after you send an instant message.
If you switch themes in Netscape 6, you must close and reopen any Instant Messenger window for the new theme to take effect.
When you create multiple instant message conversations (sessions), the windows for the conversations may appear on top of each other (the windows do not cascade). You can drag the newest window to see the one behind it.
Buddy List
You cannot select multiple group or buddy names while using the List Setup tab.
You cannot edit the buddy list or folder names inline.
The buddy list window might disappear behind other windows after you click OK to some alerts.
You can find a buddy only by using email addresses. You cannot find a buddy by name, address, or interests.
If you import a long buddy list, or you are signing on with a long list, Netscape 6 may appear to freeze while it is loading the list.
If you are importing a buddy list from AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) 4.0 or later, turn off the "Save this Alert" setting in AIM before attempting to import the file. You may not be able to import the entire list if you do not turn this setting off.
If you are importing a buddy list from another Netscape Instant Messenger user or another system, groups may not import correctly if the group names have spaces or special characters in them.
Some buddies or groups in the buddy list may disappear when you are scrolling through the list. You can refresh the screen and make the names visible by collapsing and re-expanding the groups around the missing buddies.
In the Online tab of the stand-alone Instant Messenger window, choosing Delete from the People menu does not delete users or groups. You can delete users and groups from the List Setup tab.
Choosing Select All in the Edit menu of the stand-alone Instant Messenger window does not work.
Away Messages and Notification
(Windows, Linux) You can hear sign-off and sign-on sounds after selecting "Disable sounds" from the Away preferences panel.
(Mac OS) When you use the Classic theme, you cannot edit or add Away messages. The default Away messages can be used.
Chat
You cannot use smilies and time stamps in chat messages.
You cannot deselect the preference "Block all incoming chat invitations" in the Privacy preferences panel. Once you select that option, it remains in effect, even though the preference appears deselected.
(Mac OS) You cannot dismiss the Room Info dialog box. The dialog box closes when you quit Netscape 6.
Privacy
When you select users who can contact you (allow or block) in the Privacy preferences panel, you must exit Netscape 6 and restart to clear the names from the panel if you change your screen name at least once after starting Netscape 6. If you don't exit and restart, the same users that you allow and block for your first screen name will appear in the Privacy panel when you sign on with your second screen name.
In the "What other users may find out about me" section of the Privacy preferences panel: When you choose a new item from the pull-down menu, the menu shows your new preference as well as your previous preference. The newly chosen item is the one that will be in effect.
Clicking the Block button in a chat invitation does not close the Chat window or add the inviter to your Block list in the Privacy preferences panel. You can, however, decline the chat invitation by clicking No in the invitation window.
Time stamps
Time stamps cannot be turned on or off on a per message basis.
Connection settings
If you change proxy settings for Instant Messenger, you must sign off of Instant Messenger and sign back on for the changes to take effect.
Instant Messenger stores connection settings separately from the browser. Connection settings for Instant Messenger are set in the Connection preferences panel for Instant Messenger.
(Linux) SOCKS 4 and SOCKS 5 connections may not function correctly in some cases.
Composer You may not be able to simultaneously edit a document using both Composer and another editor. If an HTML document contains invalid tags, Composer will remove them. Text is preserved. You can't apply a font style across paragraphs and images. Font changes must be done
within each paragraph. Applying a font style across several words yields multiple font tags in the HTML code. There are a few problems with bulleted and number lists. When the background color on a page is set, only the frames behind the lines of
selected text are colored. Resizing the window triggers the proper repaint. After applying a color to text the text may appear partially highlighted. Certain pages (such as ones that set frames) can't be edited. However, you are still able to choose the Edit Page option in the File menu for such pages. An editor window opens, but you are unable to edit the page. When you copy and paste a relative URL
for a link or an image, that URL will no longer work when you paste it
into a mail message or a composer page in a different location.
In the Link properties dialog, the Advanced Edit button doesn't work.
You can't insert a link to a named anchor that contains an umlaute. Instead, open the View menu and choose HTML Source; then insert the link.
(Linux) Dragging and dropping text copies the text instead of moving it. Switching to HTML Source mode and then back to Normal mode (using the View menu) sometimes results in tags being deleted.
Tables When you use percentage settings
for properties for tables or horizontal lines, viewing those properties
may cause a slight reduction in the property setting.
When you change the background color of a table cell, you won't be able to see the new color until you close the Table Properties dialog box. To left-align a table heading, open the View menu and choose HTML Source; then edit the table tag. You can't left-align table headings using the table property dialog box.
To vertically align (valign) a table cell to "middle," open the View menu and choose HTML Source; then edit the <td> tag. Also, remove the valign value from your <tr> tags.
When copying and pasting text from one table cell to another, do not select table cell text by triple-clicking or by dragging the mouse across the desired text. You are likely to copy invisible table tags, and cause table formatting problems. Instead, drag to select the desired text minus the first and last characters of the text.
Security Netscape Personal Security Manager provides security (cryptographic) features for Netscape 6 as well as Netscape Communicator 4.7, and Mozilla. It is installed as part of Netscape 6. For more information, see the Netscape Personal Security Manager documentation page. (Linux) A secure (closed) lock icon becomes a non-secure (open) lock icon after you click it.
(Linux) If you install Netscape 6 and Personal Security Manager as yourself or as root, another person launching Netscape 6 on your computer won't be able to use Personal Security Manager.
Password Manager's Encrypt Sensitive Information command does
not work properly and may cause a freeze. To avoid
this problem, change your Personal Security Password
before choosing the Encrypt command. You can now use the Encrypt Sensitive information menu item. Note: If the Encrypt command is dimmed, try choosing Obscure Sensitive Information first.
If you are specifying a manual proxy configuration in the Proxies preferences, remove any leading "http://" from the specified proxy.
The lock icon will appear closed (secure) on web sites that contain a mixture of secure and insecure content. This is because lock indicates whether the basic page arrived via SSL. It does not indicate that all images and other sub-content on the page are transmitted to the via SSL, and it is the responsibility of the web site to protect the user on this level.
Preferences If you are using the Classic theme, some preference panels may be displayed incorrectly or may have missing elements. If you view a different preference panel, and then return to the one you're working in, the display is corrected.
Helper Applications panel: Adding a new MIME type may cause Netscape 6 to freeze. If you are unable to edit the MIME type field, delete and create a new helper application type with your changes.
Instant Messenger: Connection preference panel: The text for Host, Port, Username and Password is too wide for the dialog box. The text, "Some HTTPS servers may disconnect you from Instant Messenger without warning" is clipped off.
Plugins Shockwave registration does not complete. As a result, Shockwave movies cannot load. Workaround: Install Shockwave using Communicator 4.x and drop the plugin files in the 6.x Plugins folder.
(Mac OS) Keyboard keys do not work for some games on shockwave.com.
Plugins installed for Communicator 4.x may not be available for Netscape 6. Workaround: install these plugins in the Netscape 6 Plugins folder. (Fixed in version 6.01.) (Mac OS) QuickTime movies are not displayed correctly, and are offset on the page. (Fixed in version 6.01.) (Mac OS) If you are watching a Flash or QuickTime movie and you open the Preferences dialog or perform other tasks in which dialog boxes appear, the dialog boxes appear blank. To correct this problem, close the page you are viewing and then perform your task. (Fixed in version 6.01.) Java Netscape 6 includes Java 2 Standard Edition (J2SE) Runtime Environment v1.3.0_01. This release of J2SE was created specifically for support of Netscape 6. Installing Netscape 6 will not disrupt other Java Runtime Environments you may have installed (for instance, JRE 1.3, or JRE 1.3.0_01 downloaded from java.sun.com). This is the same release that's available from Sun. Netscape 6 has been tested only with J2SE v1.3.0_01. Other J2SE releases, or previous JDK's from Sun, will not work with Netscape 6. (Mac OS only) You must have Mac OS Runtime for Java (MRJ) version 2.2 to run Java applets with Netscape 6. If you have Mac OS version 8.5 through 8.6, you may need to upgrade your version of MRJ. For an upgrade, go to the
Apple software download pages. LiveConnect is not yet enabled in this release. LiveConnect and LiveConnect security will be enabled in a later release. Running J2SE in 256 color mode may cause a flickering problem.
(Linux) Netscape 6 on Linux and Solaris includes J2SE v1.3.0_01. The Java support on Linux and Solaris is not complete (for instance, LiveConnect is not yet enabled), but will be functional in a later release. (Mac OS only) Choosing Java Console from the Tools submenu of the Tasks menu does not launch the Java console. This only works on Windows. International Release Notes General Information For additional technical information, please visit Technical
Information page for International Users.
Netscape 6 has been designed to display many different languages without
extra steps. The user should be able to browse and use e-mail without complicated
setups or efforts when necessary fonts are available on the system.
Netscape 6 can be used with more than 1 language packs, which lets the
user change the menu language and relevant URLs.
Java (JRE 1.3) is installed under the "Complete" or "Custom"
Install option of the installer. All language versions of Netscape
6 installs an international version of JRE 1.3.0_01 for Windows and Unix,
which makes it possible to display both European and Asian characters.
Earlier versions of JRE which shipped with Beta versions of Netscape 6
may not work properly with the shipping version of Netscape 6. For those
wanting Java functionality, we recommend "Complete" or "Custom"
Install option.
If you are using Chinese, Korean or Japanese language Windows 95/98
and are having a non-start or crash problem when trying to start up Netscape
6, read the Java section of the Known issues section below.
Known Issues General and Profile Manager On Windows 2000 and Windows NT4: If you create a non-ASCII user name
(e.g. Japanese) and if it does not have the Power user or Administrator
status, a new profile creation may fail. In such a case, instead of accepting
the default location for profiles, choose an alternate location whose path
name does not contain non-ASCII characters.
A path name which contains non-Latin 1 characters is not saved correctly.
Initially they look OK but when saved, they turn into unreadable characters.
A file that is defined using such characters may not be found, e.g. a mail
signature file. A workaround is to use only ASCII characters for file and
path names.
Profile migration does not work correctly if Communicator 4.x profile
names contain 2-byte characters (e.g. Japanese) with 0x5C byte Shift_JIS
character.
Shift_JIS Full-width tilde character (0x8160) and a few other
Japanese symbol characters have differing correspondences to Unicode mapping
tables depending on platforms. This causes characters like these to display
incorrectly in some situations on Macintosh.
Unix: On Red Hat Linux 6.0 Japanese, the license agreement for the Japanese
installer may display empty. A workaround is to simply click OK and move
on to the next step. This problem does not occur on RH 6.1 and later.
Unix: When migrating profiles created by Communicator 4.x under Japanese
EUC locale, Address Book entries may not transfer correctly. As a workaround,
you can edit preferences.js file and change the charset name "euc-jp" (lowercase)
to "EUC-JP" (uppercase) for lines containing an entry like the following:
"user_pref("ldap_2.servers.pab.csid", "euc-jp");"
Unix: Under a Japanese locale on Unix, the window title in Japanese
(reflecting the title of a web page) may not show correctly if the web
page does not match the charset of the Japanese locale, e.g. Shift_JIS
title on an EUC locale.
Browser and Composer Netscape 6 does not support Dynamic Fonts. (Note: It was supported in
Communicator 4.x.)
Files and directories on a local disk bearing non-Latin 1 names may
not be accessed by inputting the names into the Navigator location field.
JavaScript: The charset attribute within a SCRIPT tag, i.e. for JavaScript,
does not work. Instead JavaScript uses the charset of the document.
Windows 2000 IME: Most of the new IME features (e.g. reconversion) are
supported but some features may not work correctly.
Mac only: Non-ASCII non-Latin 1 info stored in Internet Config will
not show correctly in auto-fill fields such as "Your name" field in the
Mail account setup dialog. If this happens, you can manually correct auto-filled
entries.
Mac only: The Japanese language pack or Japanese release can
be used on an English Mac OS if the Japanese Language Kit has been installed
on the Mac OS. (The Japanese Language support comes free with Mac OS 8.5
or later as an optional install item.) The menu and dialogs, however, will
not show as Japanese unless the "Netscape" program is registered as a Japanese
language program. To do this, use the (Japanese) Language register program
found in the "Apple Extras" directory.
Mac only: The Character Coding menu check mark does not get updated
promptly and shows incorrect indication of the current page encoding.
Mail POP and Local message body search does not work with non-Latin 1 key
words.
Filtering by body key has not been implemented.
"Edit as New" menu does not correctly quote the original non-ASCII
text body if the original message does not contain MIME charset information.
When you quote the original message in reply, sometime you see the quoted
text corrupted and unreadable. If this problem occurs, try to see if you
don't have multiple Mail folder windows open. When multiple mail folders/windows
are open, the reply charset reflects the charset of the selected message
in the last window opened rather than the current message from which the
reply message is created. To workaround this bug, the user can either close
all Mail folder windows except the current one, or select a message in
the last window opened which bears the same charset as the one that is
being quoted in reply.
Character Coding menu is not effective in a standalone message view
window. The standalone window also does not inherit the encoding of the
Mail view window if the original message contains no MIME charset or incorrect
charset information. The latter 2 can be overridden but its effect is not
inherited into the standalone window.
Mac & Unix only: View Page Source: does not work for viewing
a message source when the Auto-Detect (All) is ON. To use this function
in Mail, turn off the Auto-Detect (All) from "View | Character Coding"
menu.
Japanese Auto-detection may fail sometimes with EUC-xx and UTF-8 attachments,
which lack MIME charset information.
Character Coding menu cannot correct the thread pane display of non-MIME
encoded headers. If the message displayed lacks MIME charset information,
the thread pane display obeys the default message display charset set in
"Edit | Preferences | Mail & Newsgroups | Message Display | Languages".
Correctly setting this option to charset most often used in the user's
mail viewing helps avoid display problem of this type.
IMAP Instant Messenger If you have installed a Netscape 6.0 language pack, and have migrated a profile from Netscape 6.0 to 6.01, the Buddy List tab may not be visible. Workaround: Download the updated language pack(s) by selecting Download More from View | Set Language/Region menu, close the browser session, then relaunch Netscape 6. Chat messages exchanged among Netscape 6 IM clients can support many
different languages. Generally speaking, message exchanges between Netscape
6 and standalone AIM clients are somewhat limited. Standalone AIM clients
are monolingual and so work best with Netscape IM of the same language.
When Japanese chat messages are sent from non-Japanese Netscape 6 IM
and received by a Mac 2.0-Japanese, the message might reset the Mac font
and the input method keyboard. This makes AIM 2.0-J use a Western font
to display Japanese and make Japanese messages unreadable. We recommend
upgrading to AIM 4.x-Japanese.
Non-ASCII session logs may not saved correctly in text format.
Java Unix and Mac only: Display of non-ASCII characters (particularly Chinese/Korean/Japanese)
in applets may not work without correct font settings in font.properties
file.
Some cases have been reported in which Windows 95/98 Japanese users
have a problem starting Netscape 6 when there is a prior installation of
older JDK or JRE under the operating system in use. The JRE 130_01 which
ships with Netscape 6 contains many fixes since the official release of
JRE 1.3. If you are using an older version of JRE 1.3 or the US version
of JRE 1.3 under Japanese Windows, you may experience this non-start problem.
You can correct this problem using the following method.
This type of problem has not been reported for Windows NT4 and 2000. But
if you experience this problem on the latter 2 platforms, follow the above
steps for them also. Uninstalling Netscape 6 Linux Windows JavaSoft and Net2Phone have their own Uninstallers. To uninstall
them: To uninstall the other Netscape 6 files:
Personal Security Manager is used for both Communicator 4.7 and Netscape
6. Remove the Security file (in Program Files\Common Files\Netscape
Shared\) only if Personal Security Manager was not
installed for Communicator 4.7. If you're not sure, it is safer to not
remove this folder. (Advanced) These Windows registry keys created during
installation can be deleted from the Windows registry: These Windows registry keys are currently used by the installer only (not
by Navigator). They will cause no harm if left in the Windows registry. Mac Os Using the Quality Feedback Agent with Automatic Proxy Configuration (Windows only) If you are using automatic proxy configuration, and you want to use the Full Circle Talkback Quality Feedback Agent to send incident reports to Netscape, you need to replace the talkback.ini file with one that contains the appropriate proxy configuration information.
UseUserHTTPProxyInfo=1UserHTTPProxyHost="yourproxy.yourdomain.com"UserHTTPProxyPort=xxxx [your proxy port number]
If you are using a SOCKS Proxy, create a file with these three lines:
UseUserSOCKSInfo=1UserSOCKSHost="yourproxy.yourdomain.com"
UserSOCKSPort=xxxx [your SOCKS port number]
On Windows 95 and Windows NT systems, copy the talkback.ini file to this location, in the directory that contains the Netscape.exe file: \Fullsoft\data\talkback.ini
Note for Web Developers For a list of known issues with support for web standards (HTML 4.01, CSS1/2, DOM1/2,
XML, RDF), JavaScript, Java, and Plug-ins in Netscape 6, see the following
document, which may be updated from time to time:
http://developer.netscape.com/docs/technote/gecko/n6release.html Last updated February 7, 2001