Internet Explorer

Internet explorer is the well-known web browser which comes with the Windows OS and is used for surfing the internet and browsing web pages.

Internet explorer was initially released as an add-on package for Windows 95 and the early versions came with a simple looking interface and retro icons. By the time version 2.0 was released IE was part of Windows 95, Windows NT 3.5, and NT 4.0 operating systems; version 3 included support for internet mail and news and the windows address book, unfortunately however this version came with many security and privacy issues which resulted in users reverting back to IE2. IE4 fixed the security and privacy vulnerabilities that were in IE3, but it contained its own issues which were later solved in version IE4.5 which up until this point was the most stable version. IE6 was the last version to support Windows 2000 and included Windows Messenger integration, media bar and also the Internet Explorer Administration Kit which was a customization package for companies wishing to adapt IE to their needs.

IE7 saw tabbed browsing introduced, the interface looked more sleek and it was also the first version to run a check on whether your Windows OS was genuine prior to installation, however Microsoft removed this requirement a year after its release. IE8 released in 2009 made security its priority and enhanced the RSS and CSS support. The 2011 release of IE9 saw little changes in-terms of UI and functionality. Its main improvements are to the performance of web applications and graphics making use of hardware acceleration using Direct2D and DirectX. Other features include the InPrivateBrowsing feature which allows users to browsing data (i.e. history); as for security, users are protected by what is called SmartScreen filter which blocks websites which are fraudulent or contain malware.

Compatibility:
Internet Explorer version 1.0 6.0 for Windows 95/NT 3.5 & 4.0/98/ME/2000.
Internet Explorer version 6.0 8.0 for Windows XP (+SP2 & 3)/Vista/Server 2003 & 2008/7.

Internet Explorer version 9.0+ for Windows Vista SP2/ 7/ Windows Server 2008.

Internet explorer is updated as your OS is updated but as for stability IE6 is most stable with versions of Windows prior to XP. IE8 is most stable with XP. IE9 for vista or above.

Pros: compatible with most websites, fast, integrates other Microsoft applications (i.e. outlook express).

Cons: Security vulnerabilities, later releases are heavy on PC resources.