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Microsoft Internet Explorer Version 3.0

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Microsoft announces the final of Internet Explorer 3.0, the Web browser that puts you a step ahead on the Internet! Now with unique HTML, ActiveX, Java, and Plug-in support, IE3 provides the best browsing experience and the most technically advanced development platform for end users, organizations and content developers. And with innovative Internet conferencing, collaboration, and browser customization, IE3 provides the richest feature set of any browser while still offering an easy to use and personalized Internet experience.

What’s New in Version 3.0!
    Active Content Features, including HTML and Style Sheets
  • New! Cascading Style Sheets features
  • New! Improved support for Plug-ins
  • HTML Layout Control
  • Java Support with built-in JIT
  • Improved JavaScript Compatiblity
  • ActiveX Controls Plug and Play
  • Integrated media support with ActiveMovie
  • Updated Virtual Reality (VRML) control
  • Improved ActiveX ControlPad
  • Floating frames HTML syntax change
    Performance Features
  • New! Improved Caching of Expired Pages
  • Improved HTTP Keep-Alive support
  • Java "Just-In-Time" (JIT) Compiler
    Personalization Features
  • New! Mail and News integration
  • New! Improved printing
  • Internet Explorer Administration Kit
  • Better favorites management
  • Improved toolbar customization
  • Improved file downloading
  • Easier customization of Start, Search and Links pages
  • Improved International Support
    Security Features
  • New! Client Authentication
  • Better application security
  • "Cookie" privacy
  • Proxy Authetication
  • NTLM Challenge/Response
NetMeeting Features
Internet Mail and News Features
What’s Next for Internet Explorer

Active Content Features

Cascading Style Sheets: Internet Explorer 3.0 improves the performance and usability of Cascading Stylesheets (CSS). This specification from the World Wide Web Consortium (WC3) gives content developers greater design flexibility by describing a whole new language for adding visual features to HTML. This lets you achieve some amazing layout effects such as "negative margins" for offsetting elements over one another. Plus, in Internet Explorer 3.0, you can add a background image to an entire page, a table, or a table cell - giving you control over how a background image is displayed. Previously, you could only tile the image over the entire element. Now, you can specify that the background image be tiled only vertically, only horizontally, or not at all. This new feature also lets you control where the background image is placed relative to the element and whether to center it or align it along any margin.

HTML Layout Control: The HTML Layout Control gives you exact, coordinate control over object layout, layering and transparency. Objects can be specifically placed within a fixed region with respect to the top and the left of the region, and also given specific height, width, and z-order attributes. This is based on an experimental proposal from the World-Wide-Web Consortium (W3C) and builds on the Cascading Style Sheets support already in IE. Be sure to check out some of the coolest demo sites anywhere on the 'Net, using the HTML Layout Control at http://www.microsoft.com../most/howto/layout.

Integrated Java Support with fast "Just-In-Time" Compiling: Support for Java is built right in so you can view sites utilizing this new and exciting technology. To provide the fastest Java applet execution, Internet Explorer uses a "Just-In-Time" compiler which transforms any applet into a high performance application.

Improved Scripting Support: Internet Explorer 3.0 is the first browser to provide pluggable scripting language support. Now, with improved JavaScript compatibility, both VBScript and JavaScript can communicate with Java applets, ActiveX controls, and other software components such as Plug-ins.

ActiveX Controls Plug and Play: ActiveX Controls are automatically installed on your system when viewing a site utilizing them. Unlike other plug-in technology, you do not need to run a setup program and restart your browser to enjoy these activated web sites. In addition, ActiveX Control licensing ensures the software you install is safe by letting you know the publisher and underwriter. Licensing also protects the publisher by only installing the software after the user accepts the terms and conditions. Palette management has also been updated, so content developers can have a finer degree of control over the appearance of their software components. Don’t forget to checkout our new ActiveX Gallery at http://www.microsoft.com/activex/controls/ displaying many of the exciting controls available to Internet Explorer 3.0. To see Microsoft’s surround video control, check out http://www.carpoint.msn.com.

Plug-In Support: Some sites currently use plug-ins. Internet Explorer 3.0 has added support for for plug-ins so that you can see these sites. Internet Explorer also protects you from poorly written plug-ins through exception handling technology, making it much more difficult for a plug-in to bring down the entire browser. Integrated ActiveMovie Support: Internet Explorer 3.0 comes fully loaded with support for all standard video and audio formats including audio-video interleaved (AVI), QuickTime, MPEG video, WAV, AU, AIFF and MPEG audio, using Microsoft’s ActiveMovie technology. You no longer need to download other helper applications to enjoy multimedia on the Internet.

Updated Virtual Reality Control: Fully integrated Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML) support in Internet Explorer 3.0 provides fast viewing of 3-D objects and worlds without using a separate browser. Internet Explorer 3.0 supports VRML 1.0 plus extensions for background images, texture mapping, and VRML worlds embedded in a Web page. You can explore these worlds by walking, spinning, sliding, and tilting using your mouse, keyboard, and joystick.

ActiveX Control Pad: This updated, HTML format of the ActiveX Control Pad tutorial shows you step-by-step how you can easily author leading-edge Web pages that include advanced layout and multimedia features such as exact object placement, object layering, and transparency effects. To download your copy of the ActiveX Control Pad, visit http://www.microsoft.com/workshop/author/cpad/tutorial-f.htm.

Frames Syntax Change: Floating frames were introduced in IE 3.0 Beta 1, using the <FRAME>tag. In Betas 2 and 3, the syntax was been changed to <IFRAME> ... </IFRAME>. You must supply both an opening and closing IFRAME tag. Whatever is between the tags will not be displayed on IE 3.0, but will be displayed on other browsers, allowing for downlevel compatibility. All attributes (SRC, FRAMEBORDER, HEIGHT, WIDTH, etc.) remain the same as in Beta 1. In addition, you can now supply negative values for "margin-left" and "margin-right" with stylesheets. This allows sophisticated text overlay effects.


Performance Features

Improved Caching of Expired Pages: Internet Explorer 3.0 automatically reloads a page that was generated from a script, even if the page exists in the cache. This provide you with the most up-to-date information.

Browser Performance: Since speed on Internet is important to you, support added for HTTP Keep-Alive protocol provides fast access to complex pages, such as those containing many images, by maintaining a connection until the page is fully loaded instead of establishing a separate connection for each image. Overall, IE 3.0 continues to be faster than the speedy IE 2.0 even though we've added a host of new features.

Java Performance: Performance tests show Internet Explorer’s "Just-In-Time" (JIT) compiler executing Java applets up to 30% faster than Netscape Navigator’s JIT compiler.


Personalization Features

Internet Mail and News Integration: Microsoft Internet Mail and News is tightly integrated into Internet Explorer 3.0, or you can choose to integrate your own favorite newsreader and email client. In Internet Explorer, you can run your email and newreader from two new menu items, or from a new Mail and News toolbar button. The toolbar button also lets you quickly send a message or link. A new status bar icon lets you know when new mail has arrived.

Improved Printing: Internet Explorer prints images print at their best resolution regardless of the installed video card. When you print tables, text inside them is no longer split across page breaks. Plus, Internet Explorer prints pages with white, or very light text, in black.

Internet Explorer Administration Kit: The new Administration Kit helps corporate administrators create a hands-free custom installation of version 3.0 to deploy and maintain Internet Explorer on a corporate network. As a corporate administrator, you will be able to customize features such as logos and title bars, pre-loaded favorites, start, search, and links pages, proxy settings, mail and news configuration, and much more.

Better Favorites Management: A new "Organize Favorites" dialog box makes it easier to rename, delete, and group your favorite web sites into your own categories. In this window, you can take advantage of the familiar Windows Explorer interface to manage all of your favorite pages.

Improved Toolbar Customization: With the mouse you can drag the handle found on the edge of each part and rearrange the toolbar any way you like. For example, you can switch the position of Links and Address Bar by dragging the Address Bar all the way to the right of the toolbar. By popular demand, the custom links buttons are also customizable. You can also hide or show any part of the toolbar, including the text or background bitmap, with Options found on the View menu.

Improved File Downloading: File downloading has been streamlined so you can choose a place to save the file right away and then continue to browse while the file is downloaded without having open another browser. The file downloading dialog will now suggest the filename from the server.

Easier customization of Start, Search, and Links Page: You can now customize your Start, Search, and Links Pages by typing in URLs instead needing to browse to the page before changing the option.

Improved International Support: Internet Explorer 3.0 has made it easy to switch between character sets. Clicking on the globe icon on the bottom right of the status bar lets you to select the character set to use.


Security Features

Client Authentication: Internet Explorer’s support for digital identification lets Web sites verifiy your identity. Internet Explorer 3.0 stores and manages these identifications, much the same way a real wallet stores identification cards. To obtain a personal certificate, you need to apply for and receive your certificate from a certificate authority, such as VeriSign.

Better Application Security: Users and organizations who are uncomfortable with the concept of active content can now choose to prevent it from being stored on their computer. They can also prevent scripts, Java applets, and ActiveX controls from executing on their computer, making Internet Explorer 3.0 the safest browser available.

"Cookie" Privacy: Some Web sites use a technology called "cookies" to store a information on you computer. These "cookies" are usually used to provide Web site customization features. With Internet Explorer 3.0, you can choose to be warned before a "cookie" is stored on your computer and then elect to accept the "cookie" or not.

Proxy Authentication: Many corporations provide their employees access to the Internet through firewall that protects the corporation from unwanted access. SOCKS is a standard protocol for traversing firewalls in a secure and controlled manner. This version of Internet Explorer is compatible with firewalls that use the SOCKS protocol. This support was provided by Hummingbird Communications Ltd., a leading provider of firewalls.

NTLM Challenge/Response: Corporations can take advantage of Windows NT Server’s challenge/response authentication that may already be in use on their Windows NT Server network. This enable users to have increased password protection and security while maintaining interoperable with their existing Internet information servers.

Client Authentication: Support for the Secure Socket Layer 3.0 (SSL) and Private Communication Technology 1.0 (PCT) protocols allows servers to authenticate clients over the Internet with public key certificates issued by Certificate Authorities. Once a server has verified the identity of a user they can use this information to provide access to secured areas or for billing purposes.


NetMeeting Features

Improved Performance: NetMeeting has a faster startup time, caching improvements, and an overall 25% smaller executable file than Beta One.

Improved Audio Quality: More efficient management of the audio stream through improved RTP code has resulted in much better audio results.

Do Not Disturb: Users can force NetMeeting to decline calls automatically without interrupting their work.

Run in Background: NetMeeting can be configured to run in the background listening for calls out of the user’s way. If a call comes in, users just need to double-click a new Windows 95 tray icon to bring up the application.

Speed Dial: Enables calls to be made more quickly. It also includes an improved caller user interface, providing one-button access to their NetMeeting home page and ULS server making the connection process much easier.

Sharing Applications: The user interface for collaborating with shared applications has been improved, making it both clearer to understand and more secure by starting in "work-alone" mode. This way, even when you share an application, no one else can take control of it unless you give them permission to do so.

File Transfer: Recipients can refuse a file being sent to them.

Improved ULS: The User Location Service has been expanded so that participants can view more than one directory on the ULS Server at a time, and more properties of the users are available to them.


Internet Mail and News Features

HTML Support: Internet Explorer is the only browser that lets you create mail messages in HTML. Internet Mail and News also enables viewing and sending messages either in HTML for rich formatting, or in plain text.

Improved User Interface: Internet Mail and News now share the user interface of Internet Explorer 3.0. Familiar features from the browser such as the "Hot Tracking" toolbar and customizable sliding toolbars enable users to start using Internet Mail and News quickly without having to learn how to use a new application.

Hyperlinks Inside Messages: When reading email messages or news postings, any text which begins with http:, ftp:, mailto:, telnet:, file:, or is an internet email address (jdoe@nowhere.com) automatically becomes a hyperlink. Clicking on an address will open a new message in Internet Mail with the address placed in the To: line. Selecting a URL will launch Internet Explorer 3.0, and bring the user directly to that Web site.

International Support: Users can select any character set enabling them to send and read messages written in different languages.


Internet Mail Only Features

Coexistence with Microsoft Exchange: Customers who are also using the Exchange Inbox can now import and export their email messages between Internet Mail and Exchange. Also, customers who have been collecting Internet email addresses in their Exchange Personal Address Book can now export that information to Internet Mail.

Expanded Address Book: Support has been added for distribution lists, which enable users to keep numerous email addresses together in one customized group. Also, robust sorting options have been added making it easier to find addresses.

Manage Your Email: A search engine has been implemented so users can find any email they may have saved in their folders. Also, an Inbox Assistant manages your messages according to the rules you create. For example, it can move messages about lower priority subjects out of your inbox, enabling you to read them later while you focus on important information.

Delete Messages on Exit: A new option automatically empties the Deleted Items folder when Internet Mail is closed.


Internet News Only Features

Off-line Reading: Features for batch downloading of new messages have been added to make it easier to read news postings off-line.

New Management Folders: Folders representing an Outbox, Posted Items, and Saved Messages help users manage the items that they have sent, posted, or saved.

Default Newsgroup: Users can specify a default newsgroup which Internet News will point to when the application is launched.

Improved Performance: A combination of new disk optimization and cache management results in a much faster newsreader for this beta.

Auto Reply: When replying to a posting in a newsgroup, users can choose to automatically copy the author of the message.

SSL Support: Read newsgroups privately by connecting to secure news servers.


What’s Next for Internet Explorer 3.0?

Now that Internet Explorer 3.0 has shipped, there are a number of features that Microsoft is going to work on before shipping a final version of this product.

Internet Mail and News Integration: Microsoft Internet Mail and News will be tightly integrated into Internet Explorer 3.0. Menu items will be added to launch Mail and News, and the installation application will be integrated instead of two separate applications.

Customizable Mail and News: You will be able to choose your favorite newsreader and email client, and integrate them with Internet Explorer 3.0.

Improved Caching of Expired Pages: When browsing to a page that was generated from a script, even if the page exists in the cache, Internet Explorer 3.0 will automatically reload the page to get the most up-to-date information.

Improved Printing: Printing pages with tables will appear just as they do on screen.

Digital IDs: Internet Explorer will work with Versign Corporation permitting users to sign up for Digital IDs and install them automatically in their system. This will enable web sites to verify user’s identity through these Digital IDs.

Improved Plug-in Support: You will have improved plug-in compatiblity.



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