Viral Screenshot of Netscape Browser Download Time Is Altered & Unreliable!

The rapid evolution of technology has significantly transformed our lives, especially in the past several decades. Comparisons between the technological landscape then and now often highlight the remarkable advancements that have taken place. However, it is important to note that some social media posts drawing parallels between the two eras can be misleading.

Social Media Posts

A viral image on social media, claiming to be an old screenshot, purportedly displays the remaining download time of Netscape Browser setup, a popular browser when the internet boom happened in the mid-1990s, to a staggering 39-year download period.

The screenshot went viral among many Facebook users as well.

We decided to do a fact-check on this.

Fact Check:

File Size Discrepancy:

The real file size for the Netscape Browser executable (Cc32e47.exe) was around 19 MB, almost ten times less than that mentioned in the viral image. The details of the actual file size can be taken here.

Incorrect Download Percentages:

The progress bar in the screenshot is positioned at 0.49%, indicating significantly less completion; the file size and download percentages mentioned do not align with this percentage.

Inconsistency: 8.89MB of 180MB is not 0.49% of the file size; it should be around 5%. (8.89/180*100)

Unrealistic Download Time:

While a 39-year download time is theoretically possible, it appears unrealistic given the file size and the speed of internet connections even a couple of decades ago.

The discrepancies in file size and download percentages further question the credibility of the depicted download time.

Cancel Button Alignment and Text Case:

The cancel button in the screenshot appears misaligned, and the lowercase letters used in the button text raise suspicions about the image's authenticity.

Netscape Internet Browser

When the consumer Internet revolution arrived in the mid-1990s, Netscape Navigator was well-positioned to take advantage of it. Netscape was a popular web browser in the 1990s and early 2000s. It was developed by Netscape Communications Corporation and was one of the first widely used web browsers, helping to popularize the Internet and the World Wide Web. Netscape Navigator was known for its user-friendly interface and was a major competitor to Microsoft's Internet Explorer. However, it eventually lost market share to Internet Explorer and other browsers and was discontinued in 2008.

Such inconsistencies suggest possible alterations to the original screenshot.

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Conclusion:

The viral screenshot of the Netscape Browser download with a 39-year download time is misleading. The file size, download percentages, and cancel button alignment show clear signs of alteration. While many have shared these images on a lighter note, users should be cautious about sharing or believing the information presented in this viral image.