If you launch NS6 for the first time while you still are off-line and disconnected from the Internet, then you can reset the preferences to suit the security and privacy levels you want before taking NS6 on-line -- not the way Netscape/AOL wants your preferences set for your first on-line venture with NS6. And you can set the browser to take you to a blank page rather than the AOL/Netscape site when you first start NS6.
Links to the full, local install, NS6 download sites are included in the Resources section at the end of this article.
More About Privacy and Security Problems and Issues
There are lots of different opinions about what sorts of things are privacy and security risks. For example there are Internet savvy people that vigorously claim cookies cannot hurt you. Others, we included, believe they can.
A discussion of the ins and outs, pros and cons, of computer and Internet security and privacy are beyond the scope and focus of this tutorial. Please check the links in the Privacy & Security Issues category of the Resources Section at the end of this article for some very interesting information about how cookies can be and are used to invade your privacy.
However, if one is to err about privacy and security measures one ought to err on the side of caution. Never accepting cookies, never registering on-line, and never installing on-line -- clearly is the cautious approach. To take the cautious approach reset the NS6 security and privacy preferences to higher security and privacy levels as suggested below in the tutorial section.
There are two different issues here. One is what are the risks of various settings? The other is whether the default levels should be set for high risk or low risk. If you chose to reduce risk, then use the privacy and security procedures and settings suggested in the tutorial. If you are not concerned about privacy and security procedures and settings, go with the Netscape default settings.
A: Downloading Netscape 6.0
For the reasons discussed above in this article, we recommend downloading the entire Netscape 6.0 installation package and then installing NS6 locally and while off-line. Therefore, you need to connect to the Netscape FTP server and go to the NS-6.0 full package download site for your platform (OS). The full packages are the sea (self extracting archive) folders and files.
Incidentally there is an added bonus to downloading the full installation package(s). If you have several computers upon which you wish to install Netscape 6, simply burn a copy of the full installation package on a CDR or CDRW. Then you do not have to download or install NS-6.0 online ever again. If you have a network, then you can use that once downloaded NS-6.0 installation package any place on your network, without ever again having to download NS-6.0 or install it online.
