Introduction
Microsoft Internet Explorer (Internet Explorer or IE for short) is a graphical web browser which enables a user to fully experience the hypertext, photographs, sound, video, etc. that are available on the World Wide Web.
Internet Explorer utilizes "point-and-click" technology to select hypertext links and uses drop-down menus and toolbar buttons to navigate and access resources on the Internet.
Internet Explorer was developed by the Microsoft Corporation and can be used on PCs running Windows 3.1 or better, or on Macintosh systems.
Here is a typical Internet Explorer screen, with some of its features highlighted. Please note that different versions of Internet Explorer may differ slightly. This is Internet Explorer version 3.01 for Windows95.
Viewer Programs/Helper Applications
To help a user view or hear certain file types, helper applications, referred to as "viewers" by Internet Explorer, can be launched from within Internet Explorer. Viewers are software applications that are used to display images, open files, hear sounds, view movie clips, etc.
For example, Internet Explorer can be configured so that a particular audio player software package is automatically invoked when a user clicks on a link to an audio clip.
Bookmarks, or "Favorites"
Imagine this: You've spent thirty minutes searching the Internet for information about a particular topic. You have finally found an extremely useful web page, but your next class starts in five minutes. How can you easily find this web page again when you have more time?
You could write down the URL (Uniform Resource Locator) for the web page - or you could add it to your "Favorites" file. The Internet Explorer Favorites file is equivalent to the bookmark file commonly used in other browsers.
When a URL is added to the Favorites file, Internet Explorer is "writing down" the URL in a file saved on the hard drive that the user can easily access at any time. The URLs can be organized into subject headings created by the user and the Favorites file can be saved to a floppy disk for use on other computers.
Customizing Internet Explorer
Users can customize the Internet Explorer screen. By changing the "Options", users can optimize the Internet Explorer screen for their particular needs. There are many options that can be changed, including fonts, colors, toolbar appearance and viewer programs. Some options can be changed by using the toolbar, while other choices are available in the menus.
For example, the default font and font size can be changed to make the screen easier to read. Or, a user can indicate a particular software package for Internet Explorer to launch as a viewer program, or helper application.
Internet Resources
Internet Explorer enables you to access most Internet resources, including those available through FTP, Gopher and telnet. In addition, Internet Explorer comes with a newsreader and an e-mail interface so users can access Usenet newsgroups and send and read e-mail from within Internet Explorer.
In order for telnet, newsreader and e-mail capabilities to work properly, certain configurations must be completed - such as indicating to Internet Explorer the name of the telnet client to invoke, or the name of the mail server being used.
In Summary:
Internet Explorer is a graphical web browser that enables a user to access the World Wide Web and to fully experience the images, colors, sounds and movies that make up the web. In addition, a user may access FTP, Gopher and telnet, as well as newsgroups and e-mail. Internet Explorer is generally easy to use, due to its "point-and-click" capability and its use of toolbars and drop-down menus.
To help a user view or hear certain file types, viewer programs can be launched from within Internet Explorer. Web pages can be added to a "Favorites" file for easy access at a later time. In addition, a user can customize Internet Explorer to meet personal preferences, such as making the default font size bigger.