8 Internet Browsers We No Longer Use

Internet browsers are one of the most important aspects of the Internet today.

Technically speaking, they are THE MAIN way we interact with different websites, applications, and services online.

Google Chrome

While Google Chrome, Safari, Opera, and Firefox are going strong in 2023, there are a few pioneer internet browsers that we should definitely tip our hat to. In fact, there are a couple of web browsers that you may not remember but have definitely given strong contributions to how we use the internet today.

In this article, we’ll be taking a look at 8 internet browsers we no longer use but have earned a spot in the so-hypothetical internet “hall of fame.”

Let’s get into it!

8 Internet Browsers We No Longer Use

NCSA Mosaic

National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) Mosaic or Mosaic for short is one of the first widely available and user-friendly internet browsers to ever grace the web. First released in 1993, the browser was originally written by Marc Andreessen and Eric Bina.

Image from History-Computer.com

According to History-Computer, Mosaic was the very first browser that allowed users to view images directly in the browser session. This was a novel feature since browsers at the time required users to download images as files first.

While that may not seem amazing at first glance, can you imagine an internet without images or photos? It would probably be filled with just the bland text that we normally associate with old-school computing.

Without Mosaic’s contribution, the internet started to become a hub for photos, videos, and all types of information and entertainment that we find so useful today.

Unfortunately, Mosaic only lasted four years (up until 1997) and lost out to the browser next on our list.

Source: History-Computer

Netscape Navigator

Next up on our list is none other than Netscape Navigator. Originally released in December of 1994, Netscape was the first internet browser that was easily accessible and available to the public. How so?

Image from TechSpot

According to TechSpot, Netscape set the precedent of being available for free to “individual, academic[,] and research users” or in other words, free for non-commercial use.

This is very important in this day and age given that most internet browsers now are free to download. Back then, licenses and payments for software were still very much a thing so Netscape’s decision to go “free” opened the internet to many more households and users.

Even Netscape knew how important of a move it was back then: “By making Netscape available free to individuals for personal use, the company builds on the tradition of software products for the Internet being offered free of charge.”

The quote above came from a Netscape press release published way back in 1994.

Imagine having to pay a monthly fee just to use Google Chrome today.

Source: TechSpot, 14 Netscape

Lynx

Another classic browser is Lynx. It is one of the longest-lasting browsers out right now. Originally released in 1992, it is still being maintained today.

Image from Pingdom.com

It is a text-based web browser that looks like your usual Windows command terminal. The cool thing about Lynx is that it’s still perfectly useable now, however, it does have the caveat of not being able to display any graphics or images.

With the dawn of an image-heavy Internet in the 2000s and 2010s, it’s clear why Lynx hasn’t exactly jumped out in popularity. However, there is still a minority of people out there who love the more minimal aesthetic and functionality of the text-based Lynx, so we’re glad that it’s still up and running.

Source: Pingdom

Maxthon

Moving onto a web browser that was released in the early 2000s, we have Maxthon. Released way back in 2002, Maxthon is a free web browser that is available to Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS.

Image from CNET

According to CNET, Maxthon’s creator originally developed the browser because he was fed up with the lack of customization in Microsoft’s Internet Explorer. One can imagine that such browsers as Maxthon started the trend of users looking for more customization and user-focused options within their respective browsers.

While it isn’t a popular option now, Maxthon was downloaded more than 200 million times and received a ton of popularity in China back around 2009,

Source: CNET

Camino

On the macOS side of things, we got Camino. Originally released back in 2002, Camino was developed exclusively for Mac OS X and brought features such as Location Bar Autocomplete, Tab Overview, Phishing, and Malware Protection.

Photo from Low End Mac

Camino was built on top of Mozilla’s Gecko layout engine and, according to ComputerWorld, had the special function of being able to run on older versions and editions of OS X. That was the perfect solution for old school computer and Macintosh enthusiasts at the time.

Image from Camino

Unfortunately, the Camino team called it quits and shut down the browser for good back in 2013, ending an almost 10+ year run.

Source: ComputerWorld, Low End Mac

SeaMonkey

We got another classic 2000s browser with SeaMonkey. First released to the public in 2006, SeaMonkey is a community-driven browser that builds upon both Netscape and Mozilla.

Image from SeaMonkey-Project

The cool thing about SeaMonkey is its simplicity. As can be seen above, the SeaMonkey user interface resembles the more minimal approach to internet browsing that we had back in the 2000s. It works great with email and has a built-in HTML editor.

It also doesn’t hurt that it’s developed by a cool project team called the SeaMonkey Council.

Source: SeaMonkey-Project

Flock

Then we have Flock, a browser originally in 2005 that mainly focused on social networking.

Image from Alchetron

Flock’s main claim to fame was a feature set primarily centered on “networking.” According to CCM.net, these features included a “People Sidebar” that gave users quick access to their contacts and notifications for new messages and updates.

While these features seem commonplace now, there was a time when browsers were more specialized in terms of purpose and elements.

Flock, unfortunately, shut down operations back in 2011. While it didn’t last long, TechCrunch did report that at one point in time, the browser had around 10 million users.

Source: CCM, Alchetron, TechCrunch

Internet Explorer

Last, but certainly not least, is the mighty Internet Explorer (IE). While many in the millennial generation know of IE as the “slow internet browser, ” its influence on the Internet of Things is undeniable.

Image from WinWorld.com

According to Encyclopedia Britannica, Internet Explorer 1.0 served as an add-on to Microsoft’s Windows 95 operating system when it first appeared in 1995 — serving as a cornerstone piece of personal computing in the 1990s.

Given Microsoft’s huge role in the boom of personal computers in the home and in the workspace in that period, IE served as one of the most popular browsers (for a time), especially since it was available on most PCs.

Unfortunately, as mentioned earlier, IE couldn’t keep up with new competitors such as Google Chrome and Firefox in terms of speed and performance. Nowadays, many users remember IE as the “buggy” or “slow” web browser.

Still, IE lasted an impressive 27 years (from 1995 to 2022) and was only recently shut down last June 2022, being replaced by Microsoft’s new browser — Microsoft Edge.

Source: Encyclopedia Britannica, WinWorld.com

That ends our list of eight internet browsers we no longer use! While their days have gone and passed, there’s no question that these web browsers have played a big part in how internet browsing works today.

With that, are there any browsers you would like us to feature next?

What’s your favorite web browser? Let us know in the comments down below!