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Internet Explorer for Mac

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by AlistairMcMillan (talk | contribs) at 00:56, 15 February 2005 (Revert. The name is "Internet Explorer for Mac" not "Internet Explorer for Mac OS".). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Internet Explorer for Mac
File:IEMac.png
Internet Explorer 5.2.3 for Mac OS X
Developer: Microsoft
Latest Release: 5.2.3 / June 2003
Operating system: Mac OS X
Genre: Web browser
License: Proprietary

Internet Explorer for Mac, aka Internet Explorer:mac or Internet Explorer Macintosh Edition, is 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.

Developed by Microsoft's Macintosh Business Unit as part of the five-year agreement between Apple and Microsoft, it was the default browser on Mac OS before it was replaced by Apple's own Safari web browser. Internet Explorer remains a part of the OS X package, although no new releases have been made since June 17 2003.

In June 2003, Microsoft announced that it was ceasing further development of Internet Explorer for Mac, since Apple has developed its own Safari browser.

Version information

Freely downloadable copies of all versions of Internet Explorer, including Spyglass' original Mosaic browser, can be downloaded from browsers.evolt.org.

Mac OS

Mac OS X

Features

Distinguishing features

These are features found in Internet Explorer for Mac, which are not found in other common browsers (other than Internet Explorer).

  • Support for 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 PNG support at all until version 5.0 (a year or two after most popular browsers), the PNG support added in that version was said at the time to be the best available on any platform.

Common features

These are features found in Internet Explorer for Mac and some other browsers.

  • 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
  • Rendering engine offers superior CSS support compared with Internet Explorer for Windows
  • Immune from most Internet Explorer for Windows browser exploits
  • Text zoom allows the user to resize text on any page, regardless of how text size is specified

Missing features

These are features found in other common browsers, which Internet Explorer for Mac lacks.

Concerns and problems

These are concerns and problems facing Internet Explorer users for Mac which do not, today, affect users of other browsers.

  • No longer being actively developed, primarily because Apple created Safari, though commitment had been diminishing beforehand
  • Although the layout engine has been well regarded, it has quirks independent of Internet Explorer for Windows and of Mozilla Firefox, and web pages are often no longer designed for it
  • Certificate support is notoriously difficult for ISVs who needed to provide their own CAs.
  • Somewhat slow, at least for its day, giving the misleading impression that the Mac could not browse the web at full speed

See also

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Internet_Explorer_for_Mac&oldid=10645223"