Back in the late ’90s, Netscape.com was the go-to web portal for anyone jumping online, packing news, email, search, and links to the wider web all in one place. After Netscape Navigator reigned as the top browser in the mid-’90s, the company pivoted in 1998 with Netscape Communicator 4.x and then 4.5, bundling its browser with email, chat, and a customizable homepage to compete with AOL and Yahoo. By 1999, the portal was a daily start page for millions, featuring everything from stock tickers to tech headlines, all optimized for the dial‑up crowd. Even as Internet Explorer was taking over, Netscape.com still felt like the front door to the Internet—simple, fast, and built for the era when you could literally hear your modem connecting.