Netscape {under construction}


Installation and customization

AIX

Netscape 3.x

Unpack, e.g.:
mkdir netscape-v301g; cd netscape-v301g
gunzip -c netscape-v301g.tar.gz | tar -xvf -
cd ..
For convenience, place links:
cd bin
ln -s ../netscape-v301g/netscape netscape 
ln -s ../netscape-v301g/movemail movemail
cd ..
# not really necessary:
cd lib/X11/app-defaults
ln -s ../../../netscape-v301g/Netscape.ad Netscape
cd ..

Netscape 4.x

Version from Netscape's website:
  1. Unpack the archive in some convenient location, and run the install script, e.g.
    cd /tmp
    gunzip -c communicator-v478-us.ppc_rs6000-ibm-aix41.tar.gz | tar -xvf -
    ./ns-install          # choose an installation directory, e.g. /opt/netscape-v478
    
  2. at some central location, e.g. in /opt/bin/.profile define Netscape's home directory:
    export MOZILLA_HOME=/opt/netscape-v478
    
  3. in the netscape script, modify
    ${MOZILLA_HOME}/netscape_aix4 $* &
    
    to allow non-blocking startup
  4. for convenience, either place MOZILLA_HOME in $PATH or link it into some command directory, e.g.:
    cd /opt/bin
    ln -s ../netscape-v478/netscape netscape
    

Version from IBM's Bonus or Expansion Packs:

  1. Use smitty to install
  2. in the netscape script, modify
    ${MOZILLA_HOME}/netscape_aix4 $* &
    
    to allow non-blocking startup
Note that the 4.x versions come with an own libc which has to be in sync with the rest of the AIX runtime (see the Netscape README). After a system upgrade (e.g. AIX 5.1 ML09 in my case), Netscape needs an upgrade too. Unfortunately the respective Netscape fixes have disappeared from IBM's site (and no, I have no offline mirror this time :-(( However, applying a newer Expansion Pack (11/2004) did help in this case. There also is a script, mknslib, in the Netscape directory, which might be helpful (didn't try it yet).
Netscape 4.7, which came with the AIX 4.3.3 Bonuspack, has its own problems:
exec(): 0509-036 Cannot load program /usr/netscape/communicator/us/netscape_aix4 because of the following errors:
        0509-130 Symbol resolution failed for /usr/lib/libpthreads.a(shr.o) because:
        0509-136   Symbol thread_unlock (number 124) is not exported from
                   dependent module /usr/netscape/communicator/lib433/libc.a(shr.o).
        0509-136   Symbol thread_waitlock (number 125) is not exported from
                   dependent module /usr/netscape/communicator/lib433/libc.a(shr.o).
        0509-192 Examine .loader section symbols with the
                 'dump -Tv' command.
The workaround in this case is to move away Netscape's own libraries:
cd /usr/netscape/communicator/lib433
mv libc.a libc.b                 # save Netscape's lib, just in case  
mv libc_r.a libc_r.b             # save Netscape's lib, just in case
ln -s /usr/lib/libc.a libc.a     # use AIX's lib
ln -s /usr/lib/libc_r.a libc_r.a # use AIX's lib

Netscape V7

This version is/was distributed for AIX>=4.3.3 by IBM solely (?) (Netscape-7.0.base) and has now disappeared from their web sites (I have a local copy). It is smit-able and goes into /usr/netscape. In the start-up shell script /usr/netscape/base/netscape add an ampersand (&) to the end of line starting the binary:
   exec ....... &
and
ln -s /usr/netscape/base/netscape /opt/bin/netscape
Ditto for mozilla.

HP-UX


Last Update: 28-Aug-2011, M.Kraemer

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