Windows XP came with version 6.0 already installed. See how it almost displays Wikipedia correctly? The radio toolbar appeared with v5 as well as XML and XSL support. Version 5.0 was released with Windows 98SE with many performance and stability improvements and the addition of bi-directional text support.
The slogan, 'The web the way you want it' was also introduced. This version included a lot of improvements such as Active Desktop, Channels, Frontpage Express, Microsoft Chat 2.0 and numberous multimedia enhancements. In 1998 Microsoft released Windows 98 with version 4.0 in IE bundled with it. Media support was greatly improved with jpg, gif and midi file extensions all working. It also included the Outlook Express predecessor Internet Mail and News 1.0.
It was also the first cross platform browser working on both Windows and Mac OS.Ī year later the new version 3.0 was released, it was one of the first browsers to support CSS and came with the now infamous, Microsoft 'e' symbol and a much cleaner layout. Released at the end of 1995, version 2.0 introduced support for javascript, frames, Secure Socket Layer, cookies and newsgroups. This initial version was just over one megabyte in size and lacked a lot of functionality compared to modern browsers, including no media support, but good text support.
Instead users had to install the Windows 95 Plus! Pack and use the Internet Jumpstart Kit, or Internet Connection Wizard as its now known, to install it. When Windows 95 was launched, no browser was included.
We have shown you TheRasteri's video of Windows being upgraded from 1.0 to 7, now with the release of Internet Explorer 9 only 1 week away, we take a look at the evolution of this popular web browser from version 1.0 up to present day.