On 1 January, users of earlier versions of Netscape may have suspected that their browsers had fallen victim to the Y2K bug. Netscape utilises Verisign certificates for online transactions and security - and these certificates were deliberately set with an expiry date. Unfortunately, it was decided that 31 December 1999 would be a good choice; why they didn't pick a less crucial date - such as 31 October - is a mystery. The consequence is that once these certificates expire, users no longer have access to sites that use Verisign certificates, such as some e-commerce or other secure sites.

While most people are not significantly affected by the problem, it is a good idea to fix it now - rather than at a less convenient time. Some sites are analysing browser versions and warning visitors that their certificates have expired, but this still won't allow access until the certificates are updated. Unfortunately, there is only one way to obtain new certificates: users must upgrade their browsers to the later versions.

If you use any version of Navigator/Communicator earlier than 4.06, then you will need to upgrade. Versions of Netscape Communicator unaffected by the problem are: 4.06, 4.07, 4.08, 4.5, 4.51, 4.6, 4.61, 4.7, 4.71.

Communicator 4.71 and Navigator 4.08 are both available on this month's cover CD or from www.netscape.com.

- Scott Mendham