Netscape Communications plans to release in two weeks its long-awaited Navigator 2.0 browser upgrade. The $49 software will be available for Macintosh, Unix, and Windows systems. A beta version of Navigator 2.0 has been available for download on the company's Web site for several months.
The upgraded version of Navigator will feature support on all three platforms for online applications created with Sun Microsystems' Java programming language. In addition, Navigator 2.0 will include email and built-in security features.
About 15 million Internet users currently employ Netscape Navigator to get around cyberspace, company officials said. However, rival Microsoft aims to erode Netscape's market share as quickly as possible by giving away its own Internet Explorer browser.