The next-generation browser from Microsoft is here. Should you switch?
Internet Explorer 4.0 (final)
Pros: Requires only 4400K of RAM for full installation. Innovative "tabbed" interface eases access to Favorites, Search, History and Channels features. IE4 can automatically import preferences and settings from Netscape. Supports both 040 and PPC Macs. (NetShow requires PPC). Dynamic HTML support. Free.
Cons: 14.1MB download for full installation. Installer won't run if boot drive is read-only. We had problems with the "Full Install" downloadable file. Use the Active Installer instead.
If you have ever surfed the web, chances are good you've used a browser by Netscape or Microsoft. Now, both companies have updated and enhanced their products. But are the new features must-have additions... or just more code bloat for functions you'll never need? In this article, we'll look at the all-important usability factor of the new browsers and see how they compare... and how they fare when compared against older releases.
The good news for Mac users is that Microsoft has made IE4 for Mac feel like an extension of the Mac user interface, much as it has made IE4 for Windows feel like an extension of that platform's personality. On the Mac, IE4 sports a row of vertical tabs, labeled Channels, Favorites, History and Search. By passing the mouse over one of the tabs (no click needed!), it pops out like a drawer, and the contents are revealed. In the case of the Favorites "drawer," for example, you'll find your Netscape bookmarks, with Finder-like triangles showing the folder hierarchy. It's an attractive interface that, even on our poky 100MHz PowerBook 5300, was remarkably fast.
As fans of IE3 already know, IE is generally superior to Netscape in terms of downloading files. Cached files retain their actual names, and a "Download Manager" window helps track (and restart) downloads. An interesting and innovative feature is the tiny "gas gauge" on the icon of a currently-downloading file that shows the download's progress.
An "autocomplete" feature automatically completes URLs for you as you type; you can disable this feature if you find it annoying to have your browser constantly second-guessing your moves.
A Subscriptions feature allows IE4 to automatically access pages and retrieve new information on a scheduled basis. It's very easy to subscribe: just go to the page you want, and choose Subscribe from the Favorites menu. You can customize the frequency of updates if you wish. An "Offline" mode allows easy browsing of cached files when not connected to the net -- ideal for dial-up users.
Indeed, ease of use seems to be the watchword for this product and, much to the chagrin of booing attendees at the Macworld Expo, where it was first demoed, it is now the default Web browser in Mac OS 8.1. Internet Explorer's new features and interface changes are sure to please all but the most devoted Netscape fans, and the lack of code bloat evidenced by the program's scanty 4400K RAM requirement is a remarkable achievement from the company who brought Mac users MS Office 6.0.
Internet Explorer 4.0 for Mac adds several features that were missing in the previous "PR1" version:
For a full list of new features, see the Internet Explorer Help topic entitled -- you guessed it -- New Features.
Missing from the Mac release are a few features of the Windows version, including the Active Desktop integration and full-screen "kiosk" modes.
IE4 for Mac ships with only three predefined channels, but can access CDF pages created for the Windows version. An the new Dynamic HTML support means that Active Channel content (channel content that takes advantage of both the Channel Definition Format and Dynamic HTML) is supported, too. Microsoft says all sites that use CDF should work.
The program provides support for email address maintenance via Internet Config, an included program that allows compliant programs to access settings previously stored. Alternatively, it can import your Netscape settings. In this case, Netscape bookmarks are also automatically converted (and Internet Config settings may be overwritten). For those who don't want to learn IE4's interface, a preferences setting delivers a Netscape-compatible toolbar layout, with all the icons in Navigator user-friendly locations. IE4 can also memorize your passwords to specific websites, and provides an easy way to manage and edit them in its Preferences section. Version 4.0 also includes Mac versions of Outlook Express and NetShow, Microsoft's multimedia player technology. Currently, Netshow is available for PPC only and, like the Personal Web Server option, is not part of the "recommended" installation.
IE4 allows you to view Search, History, Favorites, and Channel content in a framed fashion. This really pays off in the Search function, which keeps your search subject on the left, while displaying results on the right. In PR1, this framed approach is also available when viewing History, Favorites and Channels, as well. Like almost everything else in the program, the framed Search window is an optional feature that may be controlled via an Options setting.
In a welcome change from first-generation Mac browsers, IE4 can automatically decode MacBinary and BinHex files. Other options include Cookies on or off (a Cookie Manager screen promises even more control), plus various Java and JavaScript controls. IE4 includes two Java Virtual Machines -- the Microsoft Java VM, and an updated version of the "Just in Time" VM that premiered with PR1. (Java buffs may appreciate the fact that the MS Java VM includes support for J.D.K. 1.1). If you have Apple's MRJ installed, the browser can use that instead.
A number of fonts are included (with even more available by selecting the Full install option), and Cascading Style Sheet two-dimensional positioning is included, although IE4 currently lacks TrueDoc or OpenType support. The latter is promised for a future release. You can easily make on-screen fonts larger or smaller, using the Fonts icons in the toolbar. VRML is also minimally supported, albeit only on a PPC Mac (it requires QuickDraw 3D). VRML 2.0 is not supported at all; nor are texture maps or other advanced "vermal" features. Although it discontinued development of its Mac VRML viewer, Intervista (www.intervista.com) provides a version of WorldView 2.0 for IE that will address these issues. A better solution for online 3D viewing on the Mac, however, is Metastream, available at www.metastream.com.
IE4 rarely crashed in our tests. Overall, reliability was comparable to that of Netscape Communicator 4.01. In our tests, IE's performance was on par with Netscape 3.01 -- a welcome turnaround from earlier releases of IE. We timed several complex pages via 28.8 and ISDN connections and, in all cases, IE4 matched Netscape's times within a second or two. Preference settings allow you to selectively turn on or off access to animations, sounds, pictures, plug-ins, ActiveX, Java, and so on.
Conclusion
Those looking for a superior web browsing experience should check out IE4. Although not likely to ever win over the Mac market simply by sheer virtue of the fact that it is from a company many Mac users take to be the evil empire, IE4 for Mac is an innovative browser with a most attractive price tag (free). It is well worth a look.
Because the feature-sets of web browsers differ from platform to platform, you may wish to examine our review of the Windows 95 and NT versions of IE4 to see how the Mac version stacks up.
For Further Reading:
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