REDMOND, Wash., Nov. 5, 1996 — Microsoft Corp. today announced the immediate, worldwide availability of Microsoft® Internet Explorer version 3.0 beta software for Macintosh, the next generation of its popular World Wide Web browser. Built for Macintosh from the ground up, Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 for Macintosh takes advantage of native Macintosh multimedia and networking technologies, giving users fast, effective performance with as little as 4 MB of memory. Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 for Mac is available for downloading without charge from the Microsoft Web site at http://www.microsoft.com/ie/mac/ (connect-time charges may apply).
“With Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0, Microsoft is answering the call from Mac users for leading browser capabilities on mainstream Macintosh hardware,”
said Brad Chase, vice president, developer relations and marketing, Internet platform and tools division at Microsoft.
”
By adding support for Java
™and leading HTML standards while keeping the memory footprint low, Microsoft is making the power of the Internet accessible to the broadest base of Macintosh users.”
Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 for Macintosh includes the following new features:
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HTML 3.2 enhancements. Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 provides the broadest support of any Macintosh browser for HTML standards, including full support for HTML 3.2. Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 is also the first browser for Macintosh to support Cascading Style Sheets, allowing Mac users to view Web pages with state-of-the-art font effects. Style sheets also enable developers to create advanced effects using native HTML, keeping page sizes small, saving users disk space and reducing download time.
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Java applets. Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 supports Java through the use of Java Virtual machines supplied by both Metrowerks and Apple Computer Inc. Users who want to run Java applets can download the Apple MacOS Runtime for Java from Apple’s Web site at . The Metrowerks Java VM will be posted for download soon at the Microsoft Web site at . Installing either Java VM or the Apple MacOS Runtime for Java will transparently integrate Java functionality into the browser.
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Personalization. Users can now personalize Microsoft Internet Explorer by placing links to their favorite Web sites directly onto the Quick Links toolbar, moving and turning the toolbar on and off, and resizing the toolbars at will. An easier-to-navigate Favorites menu also organizes favorite Web sites.
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Native multimedia support. Microsoft Internet Explorer for Macintosh includes support for the latest in multimedia formats through the use of native Macintosh technology. Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 includes native support for QuickTime, QuickTime VR and AVI digital video formats, and AU, AIFF, MIDI and .WAV audio formats for transparent cross-platform playback. It also supports VRML via Apple’s QuickDraw 3D.
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ActiveX
™
Controls. Developers can preview Microsoft ActiveX technologies for Microsoft Internet Explorer by downloading a beta version of the developers kit at . Native support for ActiveX will be included in an upcoming release of Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0. -
Internet Mail and News for Macintosh. Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 integrates with the available Internet Mail and News client for Macintosh, allowing users to send and receive Internet e-mail and participate in NNTP newsgroups. Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 users can launch Internet Mail and News from the Microsoft Internet Explorer toolbar or menu.
“Microsoft and Apple are working together to give Macintosh users the leading features and ease of use they expect from great Macintosh applications,”
said Heidi Roizen, Apple’s vice president of developer relations.
“Roughly one out of four Internet users accesses the Internet from a MacOS computer. Microsoft Internet Explorer takes full advantage of leading Apple technologies including Apple’s MacOS Runtime for Java and the QuickTime Media Layer to provide a first-rate Web experience for users.”
“As part of our commitment to providing high-performance Java execution, we’re very proud to deliver the Metrowerks CodeWarrior VM for transparent use with Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0,”
said Greg Galanos, president and chief technology officer of Metrowerks.
“This gives Internet Explorer users the fastest and highest quality Java VM while retaining a small memory footprint, something that Microsoft Internet Explorer particularly excels at. As Microsoft moves Microsoft Internet Explorer forward on MacOS, we will continue to work with Microsoft and Apple to provide best-of-breed performance-based solutions for Microsoft Internet Explorer, Java and cross-platform ActiveX in order to make MacOS the best Internet client for Internet development.”
Low Memory Requirements, Great Performance
Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 is designed to provide high performance while running on mainstream Macintosh hardware. Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 runs on both 68k and Power Macintosh machines and requires only 4 MB of memory. In addition, advanced features such as Java can be loaded and unloaded only when needed, optimizing performance for the user and making the latest in Web technologies available to the broadest set of users.
ActiveX Developers Kit for the Macintosh Available
Last month, Microsoft announced the availability of the beta release of the Microsoft ActiveX Software Development Kit (SDK) for the Macintosh. The move is an important step toward making the interoperability technology in ActiveX available across all popular computing platforms. The ActiveX SDK, combined with Metrowerks CodeWarrior 10 development environment, gives Macintosh developers the tools to create native ActiveX Controls and interactive content that will be immediately viewable by users of Microsoft Internet Explorer for Macintosh. The SDK beta release is available now for free download from http://www.microsoft.com/intdev/sdk/mac/ (connect-time charges may apply), and the final release is expected to be available by the end of the year.
Microsoft plans to integrate additional features, including the Content Advisor (with PICS ratings) and JScript, (Microsoft’s implementation of JavaScript) into the next beta release of Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 for Macintosh. The final version is expected to ship by the end of the year.
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (NASDAQ
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products and services for business and personal use, each designed with the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full power of personal computing every day.
Microsoft, ActiveX and Visual Basic are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
Java is a trademark of Sun Microsystems Inc.
Other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.
For online product information:
Microsoft Internet Explorer Web page: http://www.microsoft.com/ie/
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