New IE beta available.

[Thomas Dowling]

 -----Original Message-----
From: Ed & Margaret <embier at netgate.net>
To: Multiple recipients of list <web4lib at library.berkeley.edu>
Date: Tuesday, July 15, 1997 10:10 PM
Subject: Re:New IE beta available.



>I tried an earlier version of IE4 and it was pretty cool, although I had to
>delete it after about the 10th time my computer crashed.  I'm sure the
>newer beta is bug free--- yeah right!!!! :)  I personally like being a
>guinea pig for Microsoft.
>


The second "preview" version still has a label reading "Ready For Expert
Users" and warns "At this time, Microsoft recommends that only the following
people download Internet Explorer 4.0 Preview 2: expert computer users and
purchasing decision makers who need an early start in evaluating its
benefits."

Which is to say, this really is an old-style beta product.  If you don't
like being Mr. Bill's guinea pig, wait for the official release.

>There are some very nice features.  A url checker that runs in the
>background and tell you when a page has changed.  I particularly liked the
>search window which allows you to do a search in the engine of your choice
>on the left frame and click on links that will appear on the right.  So I
>can keep my query on Lycos, excite, or yahoo on one side and check out
>pages on the right.
>
>The thing that is a bit disturbing is, as noted, how much this program
>takes over your machine.  Your browser and desktop become one.  Even the
>window files you open suddenly look like browser windows. In the version I
>tried there is a nice icon on the desktop that constantly reminds you that
>you are under the care of Microsoft and its wonderful browser.

This can be replaced or removed in a matter of seconds.  You can also
uninstall the desktop shell extensions or choose not to install them in the
first place.  Let's hope we can do the same in Win98 when it comes out.

>
>Not to be totally a Microsoft basher, I do use IE more than Netscape--- I
>find arranging my many many bookmarks easier with it.  It is slower in
>calling up pages on my machine than Netscape and really hates any "pure"
>Java scripts so it just stops working--- go figure!  Woops, bashing again!!
>

Can you clarify?  I'm not sure if you mean "100% Pure Java", or JavaScript.
Java is supposed to be one of MSIE 4's strengths with some reports saying
that it runs Java 30 to 40 times faster than version 3; in the little poking
around I've done I haven't found any applets that crash.  If you mean
JavaScript, well let's just be glad we won't have that naming problem around
too much longer.

As for speed...on comp.infosystems.www.browsers.* it's pretty common for
someone to post that X is faster than Y; inevitably, someone else posts,
"That's funny, on my system Y is faster than X."  I'm starting to think that
browser speed depends on so many things that it's impossible to refer to a
browser's speed except in very general terms.  And in very general terms,
neither Netscape nor Microsoft manage HTTP connections and HTML rendering as
fast as they should, and their current emphases don't suggest that they're
working too hard on this.  Onward and upward--to Opera 3.0?  (Coming RSN,
they say.)


Thomas Dowling
OhioLINK - Ohio Library and Information Network
tdowling at ohiolink.edu