New Netscape Browser Blocks Pop-UpsNew Netscape Browser Blocks Pop-Ups

Heeding the disaffection of people sick and tired of pop-up ads, Netscape has released a new version of its Web browser, Netscape 7.01, that can be configured to block the interruptions.

Netscape 7.01 includes other features and improvements, such as support for America Online E-mail and tabbed pages a la Mozilla, and "minor stability and performance enhancements," according to the company. But the pop-up blocking is getting the most attention.

Netscape joins EarthLink Inc., which earlier added a pop-up blocker to its users' software suite, and AOL, which no longer serves pop-ups from non-AOL Time Warner sources, in the trend toward dropping support for pop-ups.