REDMOND, Wash., Nov. 5, 1997 — Microsoft Corp. today announced that Preview 1 of Microsoft® Internet Explorer 4.0 for Sun Solaris and Preview 2 for the Windows® 3.1 operating system are now available. These releases join the existing preview release for Macintosh and the final version of Internet Explorer 4.0 for Windows 95 and the Windows NT® operating system to provide true platform support and premier Internet Explorer 4.0 functionality to corporations, content developers and users worldwide.
“Internet Explorer 4.0 for UNIX has been a long time coming for Microsoft and our customers,”
said Yusuf Mehdi, director of marketing in the applications and Internet client group at Microsoft.
“We’re very excited to achieve the first milestone by shipping Preview 1 today. With Internet Explorer 4.0 now available in preview or final form on Macintosh, Windows 3.1, Windows 95, Windows NT 4.0 and, today, UNIX, we round out one of the important pieces of what customers ask for in true platform support.”
Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 goes beyond simply supporting a variety of operating systems by delivering true platform support, which offers the following benefits:
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Top operating system and broad international language support. Internet Explorer 4.0 can run on over 99.5 percent of all desktop systems in use today, including those running Macintosh, Windows 3.1, Windows 95, Windows NT and now Sun Solaris UNIX with versions for HP-UX, IBM AIX and SGI IRIX coming soon. In addition, Internet Explorer 4.0 will reach more users worldwide than any other major browser, with more than 15 international language versions available today and nine additional versions to follow.
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Runs on non-PC devices. The family of Internet Explorer products also extends beyond traditional PC devices to include handheld support with Pocket Internet Explorer for the Windows CE operating system.
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Unified development platform. An important component of true platform support is providing a single set of technologies that allow for easy authoring of Web-based applications. Internet Explorer 4.0 offers content developers the ability to use standards-based Dynamic HTML and scripting to deliver Web content and applications across all versions of Internet Explorer 4.0.
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Existing software and hardware integration. Internet Explorer 4.0 provides superior integration with existing hardware and software where technically possible to offer a fast, easy and integrated browsing experience. For example, Internet Explorer 4.0 for Sun Solaris uses the Motif interface to deliver browsing technologies in a fashion consistent with existing UNIX desktop paradigms, the version for Windows 3.1 is designed to run in less than 8 MB of memory, the version for the Macintosh takes full advantage of Macintosh OS 8 technologies, and the version for Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0 integrates Internet technology and browsing features directly into the operating system.
Previews Provide for Enterprisewide Evaluation
Today’s releases – together with Internet Explorer 4.0 for Windows 95 and
Windows NT and the preview release already available for Macintosh – allow corporations to evaluate the family of Internet Explorer browsers across their enterprise. By standardizing on one browser across all platforms, organizations can reduce training and support costs as well as total cost of ownership. Corporate customers will also benefit from the unique optimizations Microsoft has made for each platform to deliver premium performance and functionality.
”
We are already working with Internet Explorer 4.0 for Windows 95 and Windows NT and are excited about the possibilities of technologies such as Active Channel
™functionality,”
said Ramesh Viswanathan, senior systems analyst at Siemens Corporate Research.
“Its ease of use and unmatched feature set have brought an entirely new level of power and productivity to our intranet. Now, with the new versions for UNIX and Windows 3.1, we can begin to extend those benefits to every user in our organization.”
Preview versions are designed to give corporate technical evaluators, developers and enthusiasts the opportunity to experience Internet Explorer 4.0 technology, provide feedback to Microsoft and become familiar with the product early in the development process.
Microsoft is working with independent software vendors dedicated to the UNIX market, such as Mainsoft Corp. to provide a strong infrastructure on which to build Internet Explorer 4.0 and Data Connection Ltd. (DCL) to bring NetMeeting
™
dataconferencing software-compatible technology to UNIX users worldwide.
Innovative Browser Technologies Now Benefit Users of Windows 3.1 and Sun Solaris
In addition to offering corporations a single development platform and browser, today’s releases for Sun Solaris and Windows 3.1 provide premier ease of use and security innovations, delivering a complete Internet client solution. Key features include:
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Explorer bars. Now users can easily locate, browse and manage Web sites and content to get the information they need quickly. Common tasks such as searching and management of Favorites and history are as simple as a single click.
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Offline browsing. Users can
“take the Web with them”
with support for offline browsing, which provides the ability to view Internet content when users are not connected to the Internet. -
Security Zones. With Security Zones, users and corporate administrators have control over the content downloaded to the user’s PC. This innovative feature offers the ability to control or disable technologies such as ActiveX
™
Controls, scripting and Java by location (such as Internet or intranet) or on a site-by-site basis.
Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 Preview 2 for Windows 3.1 also includes the acclaimed Outlook
™
Express e-mail client, with new features including HTML mail, and support for webcasting with Active Channel content, enabling corporations to deliver Internet or intranet
content directly to their end users and allowing users to subscribe to any Web site they want, receiving updates when new information is available. These features will also be available in the final version of Internet Explorer 4.0 for UNIX.
Pricing and Availability
All preview and final versions of Internet Explorer 4.0 are available free of charge for downloading from Microsoft’s Web site at http://www.microsoft.com/ie/ie40/ (connect-time charges may apply). Internet Explorer Preview 1 for UNIX is also available for download from Microsoft’s FTP server at ftp.microsoft.com/deskapps/ie/unix. For information on Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0, visit the Microsoft Internet Explorer Web site at http://www.microsoft.com/ie/ .
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, Windows, Windows NT, Active Channel, NetMeeting, ActiveX and Outlook are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
Other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.
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