Microsoft IE 5.0 to reach multiple platforms at once By Bob Trott InfoWorld Electric Posted at 10:32 AM PT, Feb 22, 1999 Criticized in the past for its "Windows now, everybody else later" approach, Microsoft will release the latest version of its browser, Internet Explorer 5.0, on March 18 for a wide range of platforms, the company announced Monday. Versions of Explorer 5.0 for Windows 98, Windows 95, Windows NT 3.51, Windows NT 4.0, Windows 3.1, Sun Solaris, and HP-UX will be available for free download, Microsoft promised. Also, versions in 10 languages will be released, and OEMs will be able to begin pre-installing Explorer 5.0 then. Typically, Microsoft has completed work on Explorer for the latest versions of Windows and NT months before it gets to Unix, Windows 3.1, and other less prevalent platforms. Nevertheless, Macintosh users will have to wait until this summer for Explorer 5.0. Microsoft released an interim version, Explorer 4.5, in January. Microsoft is aiming to make Explorer easier for end users with Version 5.0, which includes some IntelliSense technology -- also found in Office 2000, due to ship in the second quarter -- that includes a Search Assistant and expanded AutoComplete functionality. On the developer side, Explorer 5.0 will include enhanced support for Extensible Markup Language. Microsoft Corp., in Redmond, Wash., can be reached at www.microsoft.com. Bob Trott is Seattle Bureau Chief at InfoWorld. From MAILER-DAEMON@cs.depaul.edu Tue Feb 23 17:09:51 1999