What's a Web browser?
Whether you're brand new to browsing the World
Wide Web or you have some experience under your belt,
you'll want to check out the practical questions and
answers and loads of useful browser tips in this section.
Or read on to Advanced Browser Topics for more ways
to help you unleash the power of the Internet.
What's in a Web browser?
A Web browser contains the basic software you
need in order to find, retrieve, view, and send information
over the Internet. This includes software that lets
you:
Send and receive electronic-mail (or e-mail) messages
worldwide nearly instantaneously.
Read messages from newsgroups (or forums) about thousands
of topics in which users share information and opinions.
Browse the World Wide Web (or Web) where you can find
a rich variety of text, graphics, and interactive information.
Browsers such as Microsoft® Internet Explorer 6
include additional Internet-related software. For example,
with Internet Explorer 6, you also get:
Outlook® Express messaging and collaboration client
Microsoft Windows® Media Player
NetMeeting® conferencing software
ActiveX® controls
Chat
DirectX® application programming interface
Subscriptions for automatic Web page updates
Dynamic hypertext markup language (HTML)
You also can download various Microsoft software programs
that work with Internet Explorer 6. When you are using
Internet Explorer 6, it will automatically ask you if
you want to download software required on other websites with its install-on-demand feature. Outlook Express
This is a versatile, full-featured e-mail program to
send and receive e-mail, and participate in Internet
Newsgroups. A simple setup wizard helps you get started
and if you're switching from another e-mail program,
the import function lets you transfer your address book
and messages.
ActiveX controls
ActiveX technology (first developed for Internet Explorer
3.0) allows authors to develop innovative, highly interactive
websites. ActiveX controls are the software components
that run behind the scenes in Internet Explorer so that
these sites come alive for you.
DirectX application programming interface
DirectX allows you to experience television-quality
video and CD-quality audio, while minimizing file size
and download time compared with other video and audio
formats. With DirectX, what you experience with your
computer is better 3-D graphics and immersive music
and audio effects.
Dynamic HTML
Internet Explorer 6 supports this programming language,
which makes enticing, unique, fun, and fast-downloading
Web pages possible. The pages download quickly because
they are created using lightweight HTML instead of heavy-duty
graphics. Round-trips to the server are minimized, which
means faster browser performance on your desktop computer.
Windows Media Player
This allows you to see and hear live and recorded broadcasts—such
as concerts or breaking news with synchronized audio,
graphics, video, uniform resource locators (URLs), and
script commands. And streaming technology allows you
to see or hear the information as it arrives instead
of having to wait for the entire file to download.
Download Internet Explorer 6
Simplicity, speed, and manageability all contributed
to the unprecedented success of Internet Explorer 6
during testing, and now it's available for users everywhere.
Internet Explorer 6 is fast and saves you time on the
Web by automating complex tasks—and making you
more productive. It's never been easier to get online,
find the information you need, and just move faster.
Check out the Internet Explorer 6 website to learn
more about the exciting innovations of Internet Explorer
6. If you don't have version 6.0, you can download it
from this site.
If you don't have a Web browser, contact your Internet
service provider (ISP) to find out how to connect to
the Internet in order to download a Web browser.
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