Internet Explorer for Mac
Developer(s) | Microsoft |
---|---|
Initial release | April 23, 1996 |
Final release | 5.2.3[1]
/ 16 June 2003 |
bundled software | |
Website | www |
Internet Explorer for Mac (also referred to as Internet Explorer for Macintosh, Internet Explorer Macintosh Edition, Internet Explorer:mac or IE:mac) was a
As a result of the five-year agreement between Apple and Microsoft in 1997, it was the default browser on the classic Mac OS and Mac OS X from 1998 until it was superseded by Apple's own Safari web browser in 2003 with the release of Mac OS X 10.3 "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
History
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, called
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
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.
Internet Explorer 4.0 for Macintosh
At the 1997
Five months later on January 6, 1998, at the Macworld Expo in
At the same event, Apple announced the release of Mac OS 8.1. 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.[9] 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 Sherlock.
Internet Explorer 5 Macintosh Edition
Another 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
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".[12]
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, like Quartz 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.
On June 13, 2003,
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 kanji and Chinese characters (see furigana).
- Scrapbook feature lets the user archive any page in its current state.
- Auction Manager feature automatically tracks eBay auctions.
- Although Internet Explorer for Mac did not have any PNGsupport 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 ColorSync.
- An option to change the browser color, to match the colors of the iMac G3. 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.[citation needed] 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 Finder's Comment field (visible through Get Info).
- Support for the Internet Config system. Macintosh versions of Internet Explorer were characterized by strong support for Macintosh-only technologies, generally to a greater degree than Netscape Navigator.
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 Internet Explorer box model bug (not fixed in Trident until IE 6)
- Text zoom allows the user to resize text on any page, regardless of how text size is specified
Easter egg
Version summary
Mac OS 68k and PPC
| |||
Version | Date | Notes | Layout engine |
Version 2.0 | April 23, 1996 | ||
Version 2.1 | August 1996 | ||
Version 3.0 | January 8, 1997 | PPC only initially; 128-bit SGC encryption | |
Version 3.01 | May 14, 1997 | Included with Mac OS 8; download manager | |
Version 4.0 | January 6, 1998 | Included with Mac OS 8, final version for Mac OS 7, 8 (68k) | |
Version 4.5 | January 5, 1999 | ||
Version 5.0 | March 27, 2000 | Tasman v0
| |
Version 5.1 | December 18, 2001 | Tasman v0.1 | |
Version 5.1.4 | April 16, 2002 | Tasman | |
Version 5.1.5 | July 5, 2002 | Tasman | |
Version 5.1.6 | September 25, 2002 | Tasman | |
Version 5.1.7 | July 11, 2003 | final version for Mac OS 8, 9 (PPC) | Tasman |
Mac OS X on PPC | |||
Version | Date | Notes | Layout engine |
Version 5 | May 15, 2000 | released with Mac OS X DP4 | Tasman v0 |
Version 5.1.1 | May 23, 2001 | Tasman v0.1 | |
Version 5.1.2 | September 25, 2001 | released with Mac OS X 10.1 | Tasman |
Version 5.1.3 | October 23, 2001 | released in Microsoft Security Bulletin MS01-053 | Tasman |
Version 5.2 | June 17, 2002 | Tasman | |
Version 5.2.1 | July 5, 2002 | Tasman | |
Version 5.2.2 | September 25, 2002 | Tasman | |
Version 5.2.3 | June 16, 2003 | final version for Mac OS X (PPC) | Tasman v0.9 |
See also
- Microsoft Edge for macOS
- Internet Explorer
- List of web browsers
- Comparison of web browsers
- Browser timeline
References
- ^ "Mactopia: Download: Internet Explorer 5.2.3 for Mac OS X". Archived from the original on 19 March 2004.
- ^ "Second-class web citizens". Archived from the original on 2019-01-01. Retrieved 2015-02-18.
cutting edge
- ^ "Internet Explorer 5 for Mac". Microsoft. October 25, 2006. Archived from the original on 2008-01-06. Retrieved 2009-03-28.
- ^ "softonic.com". Internet Explorer (Mac). Softonic. Retrieved June 23, 2016.
- ^ "Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 Beta Software Now Available for Macintosh Users" (Press release). Microsoft. 1996-11-05. Retrieved 2008-12-13.
- ^ "Microsoft Ships Final Release of Internet Explorer 3.0 for Macintosh With Just-in-Time Java Compiler and Native ActiveX Support" (Press release). Microsoft. 1997-01-08. Retrieved 2008-12-13.
- ^ "Microsoft Announces New Microsoft Internet Explorer for Macintosh; Includes Version 4.0 Features" (Press release). Microsoft. 1997-05-14. Retrieved 2008-12-13.
- ^ John C Abell (August 6, 2009). "Aug. 6, 1997: Apple Rescued — by Microsoft". Wired. Retrieved 2016-03-08.
- ^ "Renewed Spirit of Cooperation Between Microsoft and Apple Benefits Mac Customers" (Press release). Microsoft. 1999-01-05. Retrieved 2008-12-13.
- ^ "Apple Releases Mac OS X Developer Preview 4 with Final API Specs" (Press release). Apple Inc. 2000-05-15. Archived from the original on 2011-05-14. Retrieved 2008-12-13.
- ^ "Microsoft Unveils Internet Explorer for Mac OS X" (Press release). Microsoft. 2000-05-15. Retrieved 2008-12-13.
- ^ "Microsoft Ends IE for Mac". Slashdot. 2005-12-18. Retrieved 2009-03-28.
- ^ Internet Explorer Easter Egg - IE5 Mac Team, The Easter Egg Archive, 2000-06-19
Further reading
- Dalrymple, Jim (3 June 2003). "Microsoft drops development of Internet Explorer for Mac". Macworld. Mac Publishing. Archived from the original on 19 July 2008. Retrieved 4 June 2013.