An Internet suite is an

Internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, p ...

-related

software suite A software suite (also known as an application suite) is a collection of computer programs ( application software, or programming software) of related functionality, sharing a similar user interface and the ability to easily exchange data with e ...

. Internet suites usually include a

web browser A web browser is application software for accessing websites. When a user requests a web page from a particular website, the browser retrieves its files from a web server and then displays the page on the user's screen. Browsers are used ...

e-mail client An email client, email reader or, more formally, message user agent (MUA) or mail user agent is a computer program used to access and manage a user's email. A web application which provides message management, composition, and reception functi ...

(often with a news client and

address book An address book or a name and address book is a book, or a database used for storing entries called contacts. Each contact entry usually consists of a few standard fields (for example: first name, last name, company name, address, telephone n ...

download manager A download manager is a software tool that manages the downloading of files from the Internet, which may be built: into a Web browser A web browser is application software for accessing websites. When a user requests a web page from a pa ...

HTML editor An HTML editor is a program for editing HTML, the markup of a web page. Although the HTML markup in a web page can be controlled with any text editor, specialized HTML editors can offer convenience and added functionality. For example, many H ...

, and an

IRC client Internet Relay Chat (IRC) is a text-based chat system for instant messaging. IRC is designed for group communication in discussion forums, called ''channels'', but also allows one-on-one communication via private messages as well as chat an ...

. The diversity of Internet suite offerings was greatest in the mid-1990s, when proprietary web browser vendors felt it more profitable to sell entire retail suites of applications on

compact disc The compact disc (CD) is a digital optical disc data storage format that was co-developed by Philips and Sony to store and play digital audio recordings. In August 1982, the first compact disc was manufactured. It was then released in Oc ...

. However, by the end of the first

browser war Browse, browser or browsing may refer to: Programs *Web browser, a program used to access the World Wide Web *Code browser, a program for navigating source code *File browser or file manager, a program used to manage files and related objects *Ha ...

, the Internet suite market dwindled to one or two competitors every few years. In reaction, alternative routes of profit or funding were sought.

Opera Software Opera is a Norwegian multinational technology company and subsidiary of Kunlun that specializes in web browser development, fintech, as well as services such as Opera News and YoYo Games. The company's total user base, including users of its ...

, for example, moved away from offering the Opera Internet suite with embedded advertisements to a completely ad-free product. Mozilla (spun out of Netscape) began to separate the

Mozilla Application Suite The Mozilla Application Suite (originally known as Mozilla, marketed as the Mozilla Suite) is a discontinued cross-platform integrated Internet suite. Its development was initiated by Netscape Communications Corporation, before their acquisition b ...

into separate projects: Firefox, Thunderbird, and Sunbird, but Internet suite development continued with

Seamonkey SeaMonkey is a free and open-source Internet suite. It is the continuation of the former Mozilla Application Suite, based on the same source code, which itself grew out of Netscape Communicator and formed the base of Netscape 6 and Netscape ...

, which is still active under the Mozilla umbrella. A further cause of depression in the diversity of Internet suites was the rise of

Ajax Ajax may refer to: Greek mythology and tragedy * Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea * Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris * ''Ajax'' (play), by the ancient Greek ...

-based web applications (

webmail Webmail (or web-based email) is an email service that can be accessed using a standard web browser. It contrasts with email service accessible through a specialised email client software. Examples of webmail providers are 1&1 Ionos, AOL Mail, G ...

, for example) which replicated most functions of their desktop client equivalents while offering cross-platform portability through web browsers, portability not offered as easily by desktop clients inside Internet suites and outside web browsers.

Examples

Arachne Arachne (; from , cognate with Latin ) is the protagonist of a tale in Greek mythology known primarily from the version told by the Roman poet Ovid (43 BCE–17 CE), which is the earliest extant source for the story. In Book Six of his ...

Cyberdog Cyberdog was an OpenDoc-based Internet suite of applications, developed by Apple Computer for the Mac OS line of operating systems. It was introduced as a beta in February 1996 and abandoned in March 1997. The last version, Cyberdog 2.0, was re ...

and SeaMonkey internet suite * Gnuzilla * K Desktop Environment * MSN Explorer *

Netscape Communicator Netscape Communicator (or ''Netscape 4'') is a discontinued Internet suite produced by Netscape Communications Corporation, and was the fourth major release in the Netscape line of browsers. It was first in beta in 1996 and was released in June ...

Netscape Netscape Communications Corporation (originally Mosaic Communications Corporation) was an American independent computer services company with headquarters in Mountain View, California and then Dulles, Virginia. Its Netscape web browser was onc ...

Opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libre ...

( version 12.18 and earlier) *

Vivaldi Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (4 March 1678 – 28 July 1741) was an Italian composer, virtuoso violinist and impresario of Baroque music. Regarded as one of the greatest Baroque composers, Vivaldi's influence during his lifetime was widespread a ...

Internet suites by year

Chronological listing Layout engine usage share

Operating system support

Note, 'terminated' means the same as yes, it was supported in the final release but development stopped. Dropped means that major development has ended for that operating system but development for other operating systems continued (the version in parentheses indicates the last version that supported that operating system), while the reverse situation of added is just treated as yes.

Suites by applications

Listing with major features, with approximate grouping. Note specific features in suites are often divided between applications differently, or integrated in different ways. The years category refers mainly to the active development and release period.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Internet Suite

Examples

Internet suites by year

Operating system support

Suites by applications

See also

References