Internet Explorer

Internet Explorer is a web browser from Microsoft. Currently in version 6 as of 2001. Internet Explorer is very popular web browser, for reasons that include the fact that it comes built into various versions of Microsoft Windows.

Internet Explorer was cited as an example of questionable product bundling in Microsoft's anti-trust case with the U.S. Federal government. Microsoft required many OEM computer manufacturers to include Internet Explorer in the copies of Windows they installed on systems they shipped, and would not allow the manufacturer to put an icon for any other web browser on the default desktop in place of Internet Explorer.

Internet Explorer started out as the [Spyglass browser]? before being bought by Microsoft. Spyglass in turn was based on the [Mosaic browser]? from NCSA, one of the first graphical web browsers. See also History of the Internet.

Release history

• Version 3.0 (Final) -- August 1996
• Version 4.0 (Final) -- October 1997
• Version 5.0 (Final) -- March 1999
• Version 5.5 (Final) -- ??
• Version 6.0 (Final) -- ??

Other popular web browsers are Opera, Lynx, Netscape and Mozilla.