Netscape is out with a test release of version 8.0, and the new browser is nothing like its recent predecessors, which were mostly about fixing bugs and playing catch-up.

I just wish Netscape didn't constantly try to dispatch me to content from its developer, America Online Inc., or its partners. But more on that later.

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More than 90 percent of the world's surfing is still done on Microsoft Corp.'s Internet Explorer, but many users complain of its numerous security vulnerabilities and lack of modern features like tabbed browsing, which lets you visit multiple Web sites without opening multiple browser windows.

(MSNBC is a Microsoft - NBC joint venture.)

Enter Mozilla Firefox, which debuted last fall to much fanfare. It lacks many of the IE features, like ActiveX, which is often blamed for enabling security breaches, and with its relatively low usage, malicious hackers don't target Firefox as much. But some sites won't work with Firefox because they need the IE features.

The new Netscape, which is only available for Windows PCs, addresses the quandary through a regularly updated list of "good" and "bad" sites.

If Netscape deems a site good, a green shield appears and the browser displays the site using the IE software engine that is built into Windows. Netscape figures such sites present little security risk, so why not enable all the features?

I succeeded in accessing Microsoft's Windows Update site along with the advanced features of my company's Web-based Outlook e-mail, neither of which works with Firefox.

Netscape displays a yellow shield when a site is absent from its list. In such cases, deeming Firefox safer, Netscape uses a Firefox engine that is embedded in Netscape's software.

Red shields along with a warning page appear when sites are on the bad list.

Not only does Netscape use Firefox, thus disabling ActiveX, but it also blocks that site from leaving data trackers called "cookies" and turns off support for Java and JavaScript, which can launch programs designed to steal information or perform other nasty tricks.

In this sense, Netscape is safer than Firefox or IE alone. I ran on all three browsers a site that tries to steal AOL billing information, and only Netscape successfully blocked the program from running.

Whether Netscape uses Firefox or IE, the site appears within the Netscape environment, and you always have access to tabbed browsing. You get IE's functionality and Firefox's security when you need them most.

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