Netscape Update Brings XML Fix for IE

AOL's Netscape division has released a minor update to its Firefox-based Web browser, which corrects an issue that caused XML rendering in Internet Explorer to break.

IE program manager Dave Massy called out Netscape last month for introducing the problem, which AOL has blamed on poor IE documentation, not a Netscape bug.

"After installing Netscape 8 the XML rendering capabilities of Internet Explorer no longer work," Massy wrote in the IEBlog. "That means that if you navigate in IE to an XML file such as an RSS feed or an XML file with an XSLT transformation applied then rather than seeing the data you are presented with a blank page."

Microsoft's Massy recommended that users of both browsers uninstall Netscape to correct the issue. AOL spokesperson Andrew Weinstein dismissed such calls, however, saying the problem affected a minor number of users and would be fixed in due time.

Along with the XML rendering problem, Netscape version 8.0.2 fixes some minor user agent string inconsistencies. The Firefox core of Netscape has not been upgraded, Weinstein told BetaNews.

The revived Netscape 8 was released last month in final form, offering a number of consumer-oriented features such as integrated RSS feeds and Netscape portal content, as well as enhanced privacy features. The browser's main draw is its ability to switch to Microsoft's Internet Explorer rendering engine for improve compatibility over Firefox.

Netscape 8.0.2 can be downloaded from FileForum.