Netscape 6, Part I: Detection and Scripting: How to tell a Mozilla from a Gecko - Doc JavaScript

Netscape 6, Part I: Detection and Scripting

How to tell a Mozilla from a Gecko

Netscape 6 is Mozilla- and Gecko-based. Gecko is the next-generation browser engine which supports open Internet standards such as HTML, CSS, W3C DOM, XML, RDF, and JavaScript. It is mainly a layout engine, but it also includes a set of complementary browser components that make up the Mozilla engine as well as other browsers. A layout engine takes content (HTML, XML, Image Filters), and formatting information (CSS, HTML tag attributes), and renders it on the screen. It is responsible for filling the browser's content area inside the browser's window. Gecko is also used to create the browser's user interface, including menus, toolbars, etc. The motivation behind Gecko's development is to build a more interactive browser, and to give developers greater presentation control, using open and public Internet Standards.

Netscape bets heavily on Gecko. It powers all the individual components, including Navigator and Messenger. Gecko is designed to power the display of Netscape.com, enabling a much faster content display. Because it is small and open source, other companies may use it as well. Personal and other data assistants that connect to the Internet, can benefit from Gecko's Web browsing functionality. Many software developers are looking for Web browsing capability in their application, but want to avoid developing a new browser from scratch. These developers can choose the browser components they want from among the Gecko's offerings and package them to suit their specific needs.

Gecko does not package the interface modules in a coherent, user friendly Web browser application. It's done by the Mozilla browser, developed by the mozilla.org organization. The Mozilla browser can by downloaded for free from the mozilla.org site. Vendors will assemble their own Gecko-based browsers. Some will rely on the Mozilla browser. Netscape 6 is an example of a browser (by Netscape) that is both Mozilla- and Gecko-based.

Gecko includes the following components:

• Document parser (handles HTML, XML, and arbitrary document types)
• Layout engine with content model
• Style system (handles CSS, etc.)
• JavaScript runtime
• Image rendering library
• Networking library "Necko"
• Platform-specific graphics rendering and widget sets for Win32, X, and Mac
• User preferences library
• Mozilla Plug-in API to support the Navigator plug-in interface
• Open Java Interface (OJI), with Sun Java 1.2 JVM
• RDF hypertree back end
• Font library
• Security library
• Cache management system

Next: How to detect Netscape 6

Produced by Yehuda Shiran and Tomer Shiran
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Created: December 4, 2000
Revised: December 4, 2000

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