For the most part, the improvements Netscape has made in the beta of Version 6.1 of its namesake Web browser are aimed at everyday users. However, one development bodes well for businesses: Netscape 6.1 finally includes some basic LDAP support.
When Netscape 6.0 shipped last year, I was pretty harsh on the company for its decision to drop support for Lightweight Directory Access Protocol, a big negative for corporate users and many others as well. In the new beta, I am pleased to see some LDAP support in the mail client, which allows users to add any LDAP directory for auto-lookup when addressing a message.
The browsers LDAP support is still not as complete as it should be, but this is a first step. Netscape officials have said that better LDAP support will be in an enterprise version of the browser due out later this year.
Other new features in the beta include improvements to the sidebars, including the addition of a history sidebar; a new security manager; and additional form and password management features. To check out the beta, go to home.netscape.com.
