NCSA Mosaic
Current Version: 2.0.1
Mosaic is the Web browser that started it all. This version does an awful lot, and does it reasonably well. But it's located here mostly for nostalgia purposes - you'd be much better off running one of the other fine browsers on this page for genuine surfing.
User Reviews
"For me, [Mosaic] is the best browser. I used Netscape 3.01 and Explorer 3.01 before (OK, I started with Mosaic years ago anyway). But now, I found that [Mosaic] can display much more than any other browser--especially the <LINK> tag, which . . . is ignored by the other browsers. This is a very useful thing. [It's] a pity that many authors do not use this tag, because Netscape does not use it. :-( "
—Thilo Pfennig
the 68K version
the Power Mac version
Version 3.0b4 is available, adding quite a few nice features to the 2.0.1 release, including support for frames and speech. Alas, this final beta is replete with bugs. But it will give you a good idea where things were going before NCSA pulled the plug on this project. For you history buffs, the first version of beta 4 ("Phear"), released on a Friday the 13th and no longer available, had an interesting splash screen. NCSA has discontinued all funding and support for Mosaic (for all platforms) as of January, 1997.
User Reviews
"I've enjoyed the new Mosaic and have been pushing it to friends. They solved two main problems since 2.0.1: the text now holds still while graphics are loading (jumping text during loads was a serious flaw) and it now uses Internet Config 1.2 for helper apps. The older application preferences dialog was clunky and complex.
"The browser is much steadier, difficult to freeze, so long as one dumps the cache regularly. And aesthetically and sociologically, it's a pleasure to use - simply a WWW browser, with no dreams of world domination, for free. Internet Config and JPEGview are sitting right there handy on the ftp site. The inline hotlists are intuitive and flexible for a range of uses. Online help is a marvel of clarity. Quietly but definitely the killer app of the mid-decade."
--Jamie Dillon
Also See . . .
Can't find what you're looking for? Try a search:
Also, if you have an older Mac, be sure to check out the "Classic" applications page for more options.
Finally, take a look at ALEMIA if you think you know that name of an application, but aren't quite sure.
Of Note . . .
No, I don't accept reviews anymore for these older applications. With the creation of this page in the Orchard's late 2005 redesign, I only accept reviews for currently-developed applications that work on Mac OS X (or later....whatever that might be!!).