Bill Gates was a little late in his response to the popularity of the Internet. It took pressure from America Online, Netscape Corporation, and Wall Street analysts to prod him out of complacency over the success of the Windows operating system and
Windows applications.
In a show of force, back in December of 1995, Microsoft declared war over control of the Internet market. Microsoft's strategy? To attack on all fronts.
Leading the attack is Internet Explorer 3.0. Its worthy opponent is Netscape Communications' Netscape Navigator (the most popular Web browser on the market). To win this battle, Microsoft has designed Internet Explorer 3.0 to handle more Web features
than Netscape Navigator and is offering Internet Explorer 3.0 free for the taking. In addition, Microsoft plans to embed Internet Explorer 3.0 in future versions of Windows.
This chapter explains what it takes to be top dog in the Web browser arena, and what it is that makes Internet Explorer 3.0 an important player. You'll also get a first look at Internet Explorer 3.0 in action.
Web pages are ugly. If you've never taken a behind-the-scenes look at a Web page, check out Figure 2.1. This is what a Web page looks like before a Web browser performs its magic.
To create a Web page, an author inserts codes that control the appearance of text, link the page to other Web pages, and point to other files that the page uses (such as graphic and sound files). Codes can be simple, such as <b></b> for
making text bold, or complex, such as
<IMG SRC="file:///C_/DIR/SUBDIR/FILE.GIF" ALIGN=middle>
for pulling a graphic image onto the page. Without these codes, Web pages would appear as drab text.
Web browsers interpret these codes to display fancy text, pictures, and links; play audio files; and display the other elements that jazz up a Web page. Figure 2.2 shows the same document as displayed in Internet Explorer 3.0.
Figure 2.2. After: A Web browser interprets the codes and displays the Web page in all its glory.
Note
Because the Web browser interprets the codes, no two Web browsers display a page the same way. One Web browser might choose to display a gray background, while another uses white. One browser might use larger bullets than another, or use a different font for the text. In Chapter 5, "Installing and Configuring Internet Explorer 3.0," you learn how to change the way that Internet Explorer 3.0 interprets codes and create a custom look for the Web pages you load.
One of the first Web browsers to achieve serious recognition was NCSA Mosaic, developed by the National Center for Supercomputing Applications at the University of Illinois in Champaign, Illinois. A student by the name of Marc Andresseen developed the
prototype for NCSA Mosaic. Realizing that he could make more money developing Internet software than by completing his degree, he joined forces with Dr. James Clark of Silicon Graphics, Inc. to form a company called Netscape Corporation. Marc and his crew
improved Mosaic to create Netscape (alias Netscape Navigator), which commands a large part of the Web browser market.
The one thing Marc forgot to do before packing up his books was to get written permission from the university to adapt the technology he developed on the school grounds. Of course, the university wasn't pleased with the idea that one of its defectors
was making millions off their product.
While the legal issues were being ironed out, a company called Spyglass (formed by software engineers from the University of Illinois, headed by Timothy Krauskopf) obtained a license for using and developing NCSA Mosaic. They came out with their own
product, called Spyglass Mosaic, which they have since licensed to several other companies.
In 1994, Microsoft joined the ranks of these other companies. Microsoft licensed Spyglass Mosaic and transformed it into its own Web browser, Internet Explorer. Microsoft released Internet Explorer 1.0 at the same time it released its new-age operating
system, Windows 95. Since then, Microsoft has worked hard to make Internet Explorer a viable alternative to Netscape Navigator, and with Version 3.0, it appears as though Microsoft has finally succeeded.
Internet Explorer 1.0 was anemic when compared to the competition. It was primarily designed to work along with The Microsoft Network, Microsoft's online service. As such, it lacked support for many of the advanced offerings of the Web, such as tables
and newsgroups. Version 2.0 was better, but it still lagged far behind. With Version 3.0, Microsoft has included several enhancements:
Any Web browser can display links and some graphic types, but it takes a Web browser with some muscle to fully exploit the Web. A Web browser should handle the latest HTML codes; support e-mail and newsgroups; play inline graphics, video, and
background
audio; and handle multimedia extensions (for interactive programs). You want a browser that's fast and that has the navigation tools you need to quickly load Web pages and return to your favorite sites.
Few Web browsers stack up: Internet Explorer 3.0, Netscape Navigator 3.0, NCSA Mosaic, and HotJava are the main players. Netscape Navigator offers all the features just listed, but its tool for revisiting favorite sites (bookmarks) is awkward.
NCSA Mosaic has consistently lagged behind Netscape in its capability to handle the latest HTML codes and multimedia extensions. Mosaic has held its ground by being the first competent Web browser and the least expensive—it's free.
HotJava's claim to fame is that it can handle the hottest new Internet feature: Java applets. Although superior to Netscape in this area, HotJava is weak in other areas.
As you can see, Netscape Navigator, with 85 percent of the Web browser market, is the Web browser to beat. And Internet Explorer 3.0 is closing in. Internet Explorer 3.0 offers all that Navigator offers: support for e-mail, newsgroups, and multimedia
extensions; fast Web page loading; right-click shortcut menus; and support for the latest HTML codes. Internet Explorer 3.0 goes beyond Netscape Navigator by offering superior Web page navigation with shortcuts, faster Web page loading and reloading, and
ActiveX controls. Internet Explorer 3.0 also excels in the number of video file types it supports and in its support for the latest HTML extensions.
Note
With the success of Netscape on the Internet (and on the stock market), people were beginning to think that Netscape would become the next Microsoft. However, now that Microsoft has become serious about the Internet, Netscape is going to have to fight to remain king of the hill.
If you've used other Web browsers, the first thing you'll notice when you run Internet Explorer 3.0 is that the screen is clean. Other Web browsers consume about a fourth of the window with menus, toolbars, icons, and status bars. Internet Explorer 3.0
reduces the clutter, giving more room to the important item on the screen—the Web page itself (see Figure 2.3).
Figure 2.3. Internet Explorer 3.0 devotes most of the window to the Web page.
At the top of the Internet Explorer 3.0 window is the title bar, which shows the name of the currently loaded Web page. Below the title bar is the menu bar. To enter a menu command, click on the menu's name, and then click on the desired command. The
toolbar, just below the menu bar, enables you to bypass the menu commands (see Figure 2.4). The buttons in the toolbar place commands just one click away.
Figure 2.4. Internet Explorer 3.0's toolbar.
Tip
Like all Microsoft programs, Internet Explorer 3.0 uses ToolTips (descriptions of the buttons in the toolbar). To view a ToolTip for a button, rest the mouse pointer on the button.
At the bottom of the window is a status bar. As a Web page is loading, the status bar displays the percentage of each element that's being loaded. After the page is complete, the right side of the status bar shows the size of the page in kilobytes.
Navigating the Web with Internet Explorer 3.0 is as easy as finding your way around a multimedia encyclopedia on CD. When you start Internet Explorer 3.0, it loads Microsoft's home page, which contains links to Microsoft products and other Web sites.
You can click on links (highlighted, underlined text) to go to a different Web page. The picture at the top of the page also contains links. If you move the mouse pointer over one of the labels in the picture, the pointer turns into a hand, indicating
that it is over a link (see Figure 2.5). Click on the link to load the corresponding page.
The following sections provide an overview of how to navigate the Web with Internet Explorer 3.0. For detailed instructions of how to navigate, see Part II, "Navigating with Internet Explorer 3.0."
Internet Explorer 3.0 is set up to automatically load the Microsoft home page whenever it starts (see Figure 2.6). If, in your Web wanderings, you find a page that you'd rather have loaded at startup, you can set up Internet Explorer 3.0 to
automatically load that page. For details, see Chapter 5.
Figure 2.6. Microsoft's home page provides a jumping-off point for your Internet journeys.
In addition to the Start page, Internet Explorer 3.0 is set up to use a Microsoft Web page that lists various search tools (search engines) on the Internet. To display the Search page, click on the Search button in the toolbar.
The page that appears displays a form that prompts you to type search text (see Figure 2.7). In the text box next to the search tool you want to use, type a few unique words describing what you're looking for. Then, click Search. The search tool finds
resources that match your entry and displays a list of links. Click on a link to load the corresponding page. To learn more about searching on the Internet, see Chapter 8, "Searching the Internet." To change the search page that the Find button
loads, see Chapter 5, "Installing and Configuring Internet Explorer 3.0."
Figure 2.7. The Search button loads Microsoft's Search page, which prompts you to type search terms.
Links sew together the Web pages that make up this massive Internet quilt. You click on a link to flip to another Web page, display a graphic image, play a sound or video clip, or run an applet.
Links vary in appearance (see Figure 2.8). A hypertext link typically appears underlined and in a different color from surround text. Other links can appear as icons or as large graphics with hot spots, areas that point to different Web pages or
resources.
Figure 2.8. Links appear as highlighted text, icons, or graphics with hot spots.
Behind each link is a URL, an address that tells Internet Explorer 3.0 where the corresponding file or Web page is stored. When you click on a link, Internet Explorer 3.0 uses the URL to find the item and load it.
You've already seen that Internet Explorer 3.0 enables you to quickly return to pages you've visited using the Back and Forward buttons. Internet Explorer 3.0 also keeps track of pages using a history list. To view a list of pages you've loaded,
you can open the Go menu or the Address drop-down list. Both lists display the names or URLs of the pages you recently visited. To view a more comprehensive list, open the Go menu and click on Open History Folder. You can double-click on a page name in
the
History folder to open that page.
In addition, Internet Explorer 3.0 enables you to mark pages that you might like to revisit in a later session. You can mark a page as a favorite by opening the Favorites menu and selecting Add to Favorites, or by right-clicking on a blank area
of the current page and clicking on Add to Favorites. The page is then added to the Favorites drop-down list in the toolbar and to the Favorites menu.
You can also place icons (shortcuts) for your favorite pages on the Windows 95 desktop. To create a shortcut, right-click on a blank area of the page, and then click on Create Shortcut. You can create shortcuts to links by right-dragging the
link
over a blank area of the Windows desktop. For more information on using shortcuts and Favorites, see Chapter 7, "Favorite Places."
When your friends and colleagues hear that you've started cruising the Internet, they'll tell you the URLs (addresses) of their favorite places. You'll also find URLs on TV and in magazines and newspapers.
Internet Explorer 3.0 lets you use these URLs to load specific pages on the Internet. To enter a URL, click inside the Address text box on the left end of the toolbar, type the URL, and press Enter. This text box also acts as a drop-down history list.
To revisit a site, click on the down arrow to the right of the text box, and then click on the URL for the page you want to revisit.
Tip
In some cases, URL could stand for Unreliable Resource Locator. You enter a URL or click on a link, only to see an error message telling you that the Web page you're looking for has moved or doesn't exist. First, check your typing. If you typed the URL correctly, try retyping it leaving off the right side of the URL. For example, if the original URL is
http://www.msn.com/access/allinone.htm
try entering
http://www.msn.com/access
If you connect to the page using the abbreviated URL, you can usually find a link for the specific page you want.
The Web uses forms to gather information, and to enable you to search for information and order products. A form consists of one or more text boxes into which you can type your entries and a button that you use to submit the form.
Internet Explorer 3.0 has built-in support for the security standards used for forms on the Internet. If you are submitting information at a Web site that supports these security standards, your information is encoded to prevent unauthorized access. It
is then decoded when it reaches the appropriate destination. If you try to enter information at an insecure site, Internet Explorer 3.0 displays a dialog box (see Figure 2.9) asking if you want to continue.
Figure 2.9. If you try to submit a form at an insecure Web site, Internet Explorer 3.0 warns you.
In most cases, you don't have to worry about security issues. If you are using a form to search for specific information, the search terms you are entering usually do not contain personal information or your credit card number. If you're searching for
Mickey Mouse on the Internet, and your search entry falls into the wrong hands, who cares?
However, if you are entering personal information, such as your name and phone number, details about your finances, or your credit card number, you should make sure the site is secure first.
Internet Explorer 3.0 uses two methods to indicate whether a site is secure. First, if you connect to a secure site, Internet Explorer 3.0 displays a lock icon in the status bar. If you don't see the lock, don't enter sensitive information. Second, if
you do try to enter information at an insecure site, the warning dialog box will appear.
You can adjust Internet Explorer 3.0's security settings. For details, see Chapter 5.
Windows 95 and applications written for it have given your right mouse button a purpose. In Internet Explorer 3.0, you can right-click on Web pages and links to display shortcut menus, which make it easy to enter commands.
For example, if you right-click on a link, you'll see the shortcut menu displayed in Figure 2.10. This menu enables you to quickly open the link in another window, save or copy the link, or create a shortcut for the link. When in doubt, use the right
mouse button to view the options available for a particular item on a page.
Figure 2.10. Click on an item with the right mouse button to display a shortcut menu.
The most used feature of the Internet is electronic mail (e-mail). With e-mail, you can exchange messages electronically with anyone else who is connected to the Internet via an online service or Internet connection.
By integrating Internet Explorer 3.0 with your e-mail program, you can send and receive mail without leaving your Web browser.
Internet Explorer 3.0 offers several ways to e-mail. If you come to a Web page that has an e-mail link, simply click on the link. Internet Explorer 3.0 runs your e-mail program and displays a dialog box for sending a message (see Figure 2.11). You can
also create shortcuts to e-mail addresses you commonly use, or you can create a Web page address book that contains links to e-mail addresses.
For details on how to integrate your Internet Explorer 3.0 with e-mail, see Part III, "Communicating with Internet Explorer 3.0."
When you use a search tool to find information on the Internet, the search usually provides one or two links to newsgroups. You could fire up a separate newsgroup reader, but it would be much easier if you could access the newsgroup using Internet
Explorer 3.0. Now, you can. Simply click on the newsgroup's link, and Internet Explorer 3.0 displays a list of recently posted messages. To read a message, click on its link, as shown in Figure 2.12.
Figure 2.12. Internet Explorer 3.0 lets you read newsgroup messages.
Although Internet Explorer 3.0 does not enable you to post your own messages in a newsgroup, you can post messages with Microsoft's Internet News program. To learn more about reading and posting messages in newsgroups, see Chapter 13, "Using
Internet News to Access Newsgroups."
In the past, you needed a special program to copy files from the Internet. Now, you can transfer files in most Web browsers (including Internet Explorer 3.0) simply by clicking on a link and specifying where you want the file stored.
When you connect to an FTP server, the server's directory list is displayed as a list of links. To change to a directory, click on its link. To move up the directory tree, click on the link at the top of the list.
When you see the name of the file you want to copy, right-click on its link, and select Save Target As. Internet Explorer 3.0 displays a dialog box asking where you want the file stored. Select the folder on your hard disk where you want the file
placed, and then click Save. For more details about performing FTP file transfers with Internet Explorer 3.0, see Chapter 9, "Accessing Other Services with Internet Explorer 3.0."
Tip
To follow proper Internet etiquette, download large files during non-business hours (on weekends or during the week early in the morning or late at night).
Internet Explorer 3.0 can display text and a few types of graphic files. It can handle marquees (animated text that floats across your screen). It can even play most audio files. However, it can't handle everything that the Web can throw at it. For
file
types that Internet Explorer 3.0 does not support, it needs help. It needs helper applications.
Helper applications (helper apps or viewers, for short) are small programs designed to consume little memory and to perform a single task well. For example, you might have a viewer that displays Word documents or Excel spreadsheets.
Another viewer might display JPG graphic files. And you might have a helper application that runs VRML (Virtual Reality Modeling Language) programs.
The CD at the back of this book contains some of the most popular helper apps around. You can also download most helper apps from the Internet.
To use a helper app, you first install it. You can then set up file associations to link the file types you want to play to specific helper apps. Whenever you click on the link for a file type you've associated to a helper app, Internet
Explorer 3.0 downloads the file, runs the associated helper app, loads the file into that helper app, and plays it (see Figure 2.13). Chapter 15, "Using Helper Applications," explains the details of downloading, installing, and using helper
applications.
Figure 2.13. Helper applications extend the functionality of Internet Explorer 3.0.
This introduction to Internet Explorer 3.0 was simply meant to whet your appetite for the Web. In the next chapter, you'll learn how to find an on-ramp to the Internet and how to set up the software you need to get connected. In subsequent chapters,
you'll learn the specifics of connecting with Windows 95 and how to install and configure Internet Explorer 3.0 for your tastes.
