SeaMonkey Portable

CNET Editors' review

by: CNET staff on May 09, 2011

SeaMonkey is an open-source Internet suite that combines a Web browser, email client, IRC client, newsreader, and HTML editor in one free application. It's essentially a continuation of the Mozilla Application Suite, which was to be the next-generation Netscape. SeaMonkey Portable is a fully portable version of the SeaMonkey suite from PortableApps. It's got a lot of potential on the desktop, but it's especially useful as an all-in-one solution for mobile users.

SeaMonkey's default theme resembles Netscape's, especially in its color scheme, its bookmarks, and its expandable, open-and-close-able toolbars, but it also incorporates the latest browser tech, such as tabs, sidebars, and a unified address bar. There's also a "modern" theme with snazzy buttons and aero-style highlights, though nearly everything about this open source suite can be customized, either via program options or its built-in development tools. SeaMonkey is based on the same components that underlie many of Mozilla's other projects, such as Firefox and Thunderbird, so there's a familiar feel to much of this program's features and functionality. We quickly imported our bookmarks into SeaMonkey's browser, and setting up the Mail & Newsgroups client was as easy as we've known, and virtually automatic. SeaMonkey incorporates ChatZilla (IRC chat) so no mysteries there, either. We didn't do much beyond checking out Composer, the built-in HTML Editor, but many users will want SeaMonkey especially for that tool and its other integrated development capabilities. In fact, SeaMonkey's development tools, freely available code, built-in messaging, and portability make it a top choice for advanced users, programmers, and administrators, too.

Anyone harboring fond memories of Netscape should check out SeaMonkey Portable. It's an excellent, up-to-date browser that can stand among the crop of speedy newcomers, many of which share SeaMonkey's common ancestry. If you're a mobile user who's tired of programs that don't always work well together, you should definitely try SeaMonkey Portable. Power users will find a lot to like, too.