Confusing Mozilla Names

The very first Netscape browser had a code engine called Mozilla. Netscape 1.0 was powered with a code engine called Mozilla 1.0. Netscape 2.0 used Mozilla 2.0, Netscape 3.0 used Mozilla 3.0, and Netscape 4.0 used Mozilla 4.0.

In 1998 the source code of Netscape 4 was made public - and the development of Netscape 5 was made an open source project.

The open source project for creating Netscape 5 was called "The Mozilla Project". Strangely enough, the code engine for the Mozilla Project was called Gecko.

Unfortunately it took Netscape more than three and a half years after the release of 4.0, to produce its next generation browser. This delay destroyed Netscape's possibilities to remain a credible alternative to Microsoft's Internet Explorer. Microsoft released IE 5.0 just after the Mozilla project had started, and was ready with IE 6.0 before Netscape managed to release a workable browser.

Netscape 6.0 based on Gecko M18 (Milestone 18) was released in November 2000.

After the release of Netscape 6.0, the Mozilla Project started to work on Netscape 7 based on an engine called Mozilla 1.0 !!.

Netscape 6 and 7 are built on Mozilla and Netscape and Mozilla are nearly an identical suite of applications.

The current version of Netscape 7 claims to have a code engine called Gecko 1.0 !!

At the moment the Mozilla Project is developing a new web browser called Firefox. Firefox was previously called Mozilla Firebird (which was previously called Phoenix, which claimed to be a new version of Mozilla).

Confused? I am.

The confusing name changes must have something to do with legal issues (I think).