RockMelt to crack Microsoft's IE dominance?

by Stevie Smith - Aug 17 2009, 15:15

Given the dominance of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer (IE), the ever-increasing popularity of Mozilla’s Firefox, and the up-and-coming appeal of Google Chrome, you’d perhaps think a start-up offering yet another Web browser would be a bad idea. Maybe it is, but that’s not about to stop the launch of RockMelt.

According to a New York Times report, the RockMelt browser is set to be unleashed upon the world with the backing of none other than Marc Andreessen, whose original Mosaic and Netscape platforms helped pioneer the Internet browsing experience back in the 1990s.

The new RockMelt browser, which will apparently hold close ties to Facebook, has been developed by Eric Vishria and Tim Howes, who amassed valuable experience in the technology sector after working closely with Andreessen at Opsware, which was purchased by Hewlett-Packard in 2007 but was co-founded by the Netscape creator.

News of the incoming browser follows a recent NYT interview with Andreessen during which he revealed his belief that the layered complexities associated with today’s Web sites require a completely new kind of browsing platform, created from the ground up, in order to best serve the online user base.

At present, the official RockMelt site is little more than a placeholder displaying the browser logo – a globe cracking open upon a series of fault lines to reveal liquid magma beneath.

However, interested visitors keen to stay abreast of RockMelt developments via periodic update reports and announcements can submit their e-mail details for inclusion to the company’s mailing list.

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