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The set-up process will include an option for setting Netscape as the default browser, which will be customised with tabs that point users at 'key' Hp and Compaq websites.

'Netscape 8.0 was designed to give consumers a choice, and we are delighted that consumers who buy new HP and Compaq consumer PCs will be able to choose the Netscape browser for a safer and highly compatible browsing experience,' said Jeremy Liew, Senior vice president of AOL and general manager of Netscape.

Netscape

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was recently spun off from its Mozilla roots and is now developed in isolation by AOL, although it continues to share a code base with Mozilla's Firefox browser. Nonetheless it is an odd choice for HP, which might have been expected to opt for one the more popular alternatives to Internet Explorer, such as Firefox or Opera.

HP said that the aim was to offer a safer Internet experience.

'By including Netscape 8.0 on our PCs, HP is providing people a more secure computing experience via the browser's cutting-edge security features and other functionality that make being online safer for our customers,' explained Nick Labosky, director of Worldwide Consumer PC Beyond-the-Box group.

Features that differentiate Netscape from other browsers include its automatic adjustment of security settings and the ability to switch to Internet Explorer's rendering engine in order to view pages that might not otherwise be displayed.

Netscape 8 is available for Windows only from browser.netscape.com.