About Internet Explorer for Mac Internet Explorer for Mac, a.k.a. Internet Explorer:mac or Internet Explorer Macintosh Edition, was a proprietary but free-of-charge web browser developed by Microsoft for the Macintosh platform. Initial versions were developed from the same code base as Internet Explorer for Windows, however later versions diverged, particularly with the release of version 5 which included the Tasman rendering engine.
As a result of the five-year agreement between Apple and Microsoft in 1997, it was the default browser on Mac OS before it was replaced by Apple owned Safari web browser. Internet Explorer remained available for the Mac OS until January 31, 2006. No major updates had been released since March 27, 2000 aside from bug fixes and updates to take advantage of new features in Mac OS X. Internet Explorer Features. Auto-complete in the address bar responds to typing partial URLs or page titles, searches favorites and history.
Go menu allows access to the persistent global browser history. CSS support. Text zoom allows the user to resize text on any page, regardless of how text size is specified. Scrapbook feature lets the user archive any page in its current state.
Auction Manager feature automatically tracks eBay auctions. Print Preview functionality allowing for adjustment of the font-size from within the preview pane. Internet Exploreris property of Microsoft Inc., Updates.
Internet Explorer for Mac (also referred to as Internet Explorer for Macintosh, Internet Explorer Macintosh Edition, Internet Explorer:mac or IE:mac) is an unsupported inactive developed by for the platform. Initial versions were developed from the same code base as. Later versions diverged, particularly with the release of version 5 which included the cutting edge, and highly standards-compliant. As a result of the five-year agreement between and Microsoft in 1997, it was the default browser on and from 1998 until it was superseded by Apple's own web browser in 2003 with the release of 'Panther'. On June 13, 2003, Microsoft announced that it was ceasing further development of Internet Explorer for Mac and the final update was released on July 11, 2003. The browser was not included in the default installation of 'Tiger' which was released on April 29, 2005.
Microsoft stopped releases for the product on December 31, 2005 and they removed the application from their Macintosh downloads site on January 31, 2006. Microsoft recommended 'that users migrate to more recent web browsing technologies such as Apple's Safari.' An archived version of the download is available on, but only works on and earlier versions, because of the discontinuation of Rosetta. Versions of Internet Explorer for Macintosh were released starting with version 2 in 1996, to version 5 which received its last patch in 2003. IE versions for Mac typically lagged several months to a year behind Windows versions, but included some unique developments including its own layout engine.
Internet Explorer 2.0 for Macintosh The first version of Internet Explorer for the Macintosh operating system was a beta version of Internet Explorer 2.0 for Macintosh, released on January 23, 1996 as a free download from Microsoft's website. This first version was based on the web browser licensed from. Available for both and based Macs running or later, it supported the embedding of a number of multimedia formats into web pages, including and formatted video and and formatted audio. The final version was released three months later on April 23. Version 2.1 released in August of the same year, was mostly aimed at fixed bugs and improving stability, but also added a few features such as support for the (the first version of Internet Explorer on any platform to do so) and support for. 3.0 for Macintosh used the IE 2.1 rendering engine in its built-in web browser.
See also: Internet Explorer 3.0 for Macintosh On November 5, 1996 Microsoft announced the release of a beta version of Internet Explorer version 3.0 for Macintosh. This release added support for version 3.2, and controls. The final version, made available on January 8, 1997, also added support for the and security protocols and the and RSACi rating systems that can be used to control access to websites based on content ratings. A problem with an operating system extension used in the Mac OS, called CFM68K Runtime Enabler, led to a delay in the release of the version 3.0 for Macs based on the line of processors. Four months later on May 14, Microsoft released version 3.01 which included a version for 68k-based machines.
This version also included features from the Windows version of Internet Explorer 4.0 such as and Monitoring Favorites that notified users when sites in their Favorites list have been updated. It also included support for and introduced a Download Manager and a Manager.
Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.1.7 in the Classic Mac OS displaying Low End. Be Microsoft's last browser for the Mac, eventually reaching version 5.1.7 for the.
See also: Internet Explorer 4.0 for Macintosh At the 1997 in, on August 6, and announced a partnership between Microsoft and Apple. Amongst other things, Apple agreed to make Internet Explorer the default browser instead of. Five months later on January 6, 1998, at the Macworld Expo in, Microsoft announced the release of the final version of Internet Explorer version 4.0 for Macintosh. Version 4 included support for, a new faster and Security Zones that allow users or administrators to limit access to certain types of web content depending on which zone (for example Intranet or Internet) the content was coming from. The most publicized feature of Internet Explorer 4.0 was support for Microsoft's technology, which was intended to deliver regularly updated content that users could personally tailor to their interests. However Active Channel failed to reach a wide audience.
At the same event, Apple announced the release of. This was the first version of the Macintosh operating system to bundle Internet Explorer as its default browser per the agreement with Microsoft; however, version 4.0 was not ready in time to be included so version 3.01 was bundled on the CDs. At the following year's San Francisco Macworld Expo on January 9, 1999, Microsoft announced the release of Internet Explorer 4.5 Macintosh Edition. This new version, which dropped 68K processor support, introduced Form AutoFill, Print Preview, the Page Holder pane which let a user hold a page of links on one side of the screen that opened pages in the right hand and support for Mac OS technology like. See also: Internet Explorer 5 Macintosh Edition Again a year later on January 5, 2000, Microsoft announced a new version of Internet Explorer at the San Francisco Macworld Expo, Internet Explorer 5 Macintosh Edition which was released two months later on March 27, 2000.
The version of had been released a year earlier, but used the Trident layout engine. The Macintosh Edition introduced a new rendering engine called Tasman that was designed to be more compliant with emerging standards such as HTML 4.0,. It also introduced a number of features that were later added to other browsers such as complete support for the image standard (which previous versions did not support at all), switching, Text Zoom and source view. It also included an Auction Manager for tracking auctions in sites like and an Internet Scrapbook to allow users to quickly and easily store and organize web content (for example an image or a piece of selected text). Preview releases of the browser included a feature called the MediaBar which integrated MP3 and playback, but this feature was dropped from the final version. The initial release was just for Mac OS 8 and, however two months after that release on May 15 a version was released, bundled with the Mac OS X DP4 release handed out to developers at the 2000.
The included another preview of the Mac OS X version of IE. The release of on March 24, 2001 included yet another preview of the Mac OS X version of IE 5. This was updated later, and the release of on September 25, 2001 included the final version of Internet Explorer 5.1 for Mac OS X. IE 5.1 for Mac OS 8 and 9 was released on December 18, 2001. According to Jorg Brown, one of the IE for Mac developers at Microsoft, after version 5 most of the team that produced IE for Mac were moved to another project. IE for Mac was relegated to something they were expected to work on in their 'spare time'.
On June 17, 2002, Microsoft announced the release of version 5.2 (the first Mac OS X-only release) which included a few performance and security fixes and support for Mac OS X features likes text smoothing. In 2002, Microsoft reassigned developers to develop version 6 of Internet Explorer for Mac, intended to be used as the base for a new product. Would be a subscription-only browser that worked with the online service, incorporate features like an address book, junk mail filters and an client. However, after hearing that Apple had started development of their own browser, they canceled the standalone browser development and concentrated on the MSN browser, which was released on May 15, 2003.
On June 13, 2003, reported that general manager Roz Ho had confirmed that aside from updates to fix security problems, there would be no new versions of Internet Explorer from Microsoft. Three days later on June 16, Microsoft released the final version for Mac OS X (PPC), version 5.2.3 and a month later on July 11, they released the final version for Mac OS 8 and 9, version 5.1.7.
The last versions of Internet Explorer for Mac OS X (PPC) had a distinguishing blue logo that was the base for the logo used in Internet Explorer 6 for Windows (the Windows one just had a lighter blue, and it was less 3-D). Internet Explorer 5 for Mac distinguishing features These are features found in Internet Explorer for Mac, which were not found in common contemporary browsers (with the possible exception of Internet Explorer for Windows). Some are still not features in many browsers. Support for annotative glosses to Japanese and Chinese characters (see ).
Scrapbook feature lets the user archive any page in its current state. Auction Manager feature automatically tracks auctions. Although Internet Explorer for Mac did not have any support at all until version 5.0 (a year or two after other major browsers), the PNG support added in that version was unusually robust, including transparency and color correction. Support for matching web page colors using. An option to change the browser color, to match the colors of the. The first builds had a choice of 9 colors, but later builds had 15. The URL auto-complete window in the pre-Carbon versions was translucent and blurred the content behind to maintain readability of the suggested completions.
This is the first time an app had a blurred translucent window and an effect similar to the look of iOS 7 years later. The later Carbon versions just used Mac OS X built-in window translucency without blurring. Print Preview functionality allowing for adjustment of the font-size from within the preview pane. Page Holder sidebar functionality allowing users to hold a rendered page in the sidebar (a links-only view was available too) and load clicked links in the main browser window. Much of this functionality was replaced with tabbed browsing in later browsers, but not the links-only view. As with previous IE Mac versions, and in common with many other Macintosh internet software, the URL from which content was downloaded is added to the 's Comment field (visible through Get Info).
Support for the system. Ironically, Macintosh versions of Internet Explorer were characterized by strong support for Macintosh-only technologies, generally better than 's Other features These are features found in Internet Explorer for Mac and some other of its contemporaries. Auto-complete in the address bar responds to typing partial URLs or page titles, searches favorites and history. Go menu allows access to the persistent global browser history. Tasman rendering engine offers superior CSS support compared to in other versions, and was not affected by the (not fixed in Trident until ).
Text zoom allows the user to resize text on any page, regardless of how text size is specified Easter egg is included as an offline, accessible by typing ', in Internet Explorer 5 for Mac OS with the text replaced by the names of the developers. Version summary. Cutting edge.
October 25, 2006. Archived from on 2008-01-06.
Retrieved 2009-03-28. Internet Explorer (Mac). Retrieved June 23, 2016.
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Retrieved 2008-12-13. John C Abell (August 6, 2009). Retrieved 2016-03-08.
(Press release). Retrieved 2008-12-13. (Press release). Retrieved 2008-12-13. (Press release). Retrieved 2008-12-13.
Retrieved 2009-03-28., The Easter Egg Archive, 2000-06-19 Further reading.