Windows: Internet Explorer

about

Internet Explorer (IE) is Microsoft's World Wide Web (WWW) browser. Based on the pioneering NCSA Mosaic browser, IE was hastily developed in the mid 1990s in reaction to Netscape's early domination of the browser market. Thanks to rapid development and integration with Windows, IE now dominates the browser market with the latest version, IE6, installed on 45% of computers. Together with earlier versions 4 and 5, it is commonly accepted that IE accounts for over 90% of browsers installed on computers worldwide.

In order to better compete with Netscape, since version 4, IE has been loosely packaged with the email and news program Outlook Express; a development of the Internet Mail and News (msimn) program released with Windows 95.

Critics of IE point to it's dubious security record and it's lack of standards support. The absence of anti-commercial features such as popup window blocking and better image blocking to prevent advertising are also common complaints. Resentment towards Microsoft for abusing it's Windows monopoly to destroy it's competitor Netscape through giving away 'middleware' products like IE boiled over into a long running anti-trust court battle in the United States.

related sites

• Internet Explorer Home Page
• Internet Explorer Support Centre

versions

• version 4
• version 5
• version 5.5
• version 6

patches

• Windows Update

resources

• FAQs
Microsoft
• microsoft...ie5.newsgroup
• microsoft...ie6.newsgroup
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