Daylight Saving Time Throws Netscape Software a Curve

Netscape Communications Inc. said its Internet navigation software has developed a glitch caused by a frailty not uncommon among humans: trouble adjusting to daylight saving time.

Because the software was not designed to account for the April 7 time change, Net surfers trying to view a recently updated page may be shown a slightly older version of the site instead, said Chris Holten, a Netscape spokeswoman.

“This affects people that are accessing a page twice within an hour time span,” Holten said. “It’s a bug, and we’re working as quickly as we can to fix it.”

Most Internet sites are updated once a week or less frequently and won’t be affected, experts said. But the glitch could lead to problems when users check for changes on sites that feature news bulletins, sports scores or other frequently altered material.

It will also affect designers of Internet pages, who often use Netscape software to check occasional alterations. But the bug does not appear to affect the accuracy of stock quotes, Holten said.

The flaw appears only in Netscape versions 2.0 and 2.01, and the company said a repaired version, 2.02, should be available within a few weeks. In the meantime, the company has posted temporary repair suggestions on its Internet site (https://home.netscape.com).

Netscape is the most popular Internet navigation tool, and Holten said millions of copies of the flawed programs have been distributed. Downloading the repaired version will take between two and 25 minutes for each user, Holten said.

* Staff writer Greg Miller in Orange County can be reached at greg.miller@latimes.com