Internet Explorer 5.01 (build
5.00.2919.6307 or 1963.07; Figure 1)
is a point-release upgrade to IE 5.0 which fixes numerous security
problems and other bugs while offering a number of other small
changes (Figure 2). For me
personally, IE 5.01 is a partial vindication of my complaints about
IE 5.0, as Microsoft has fixed some problems that I've been
complaining about since 1997. But IE 5.01, as a minor upgrade to IE
5.0, is not dramatically different from its predecessor. Visually,
the two products are almost identical.
Microsoft has also significantly changed the way "browse in a
new process" works in IE 5.01. In previous versions of Internet
Explorer, there was an option in Advanced Options to allow each
browser window to open in a new process. When selected, this meant
that each browser window controlled its own memory space: If one
browser window crashed, it couldn't take down the whole operating
system, a pretty embarrassing problem when you're integrating the
Web browser into the OS. In IE 5.01, this feature is not available
as a user-selectable option. Instead, Microsoft has hard-coded
behavior into the system based on the amount of RAM installed. If
the system has 32MB of RAM or more, this feature is turned on by
default. Otherwise, it's off. Frankly, this was a good decision:
There's no reason for a user to need to tweak this kind of feature.
Incidentally, IE 5.01 is the version of Internet Explorer that will
ship in Windows 2000 (as build 5.00.2920.0000 or 2000, go figure)
when it's released in February.
Changes to Internet Explorer 5.01
Microsoft has partially fixed the "new window" bug in
Internet Explorer 5.0 so that new windows open at the same size as
the IE window that preceded them. In IE 5.0, this functionality was
hopelessly broken and new browser windows would open willy-nilly on
the screen in bizarre sizes. If I had my way, IE windows would open
at the same size and same position as the window that
preceded them, but this is enough to get me to shut up for now. The
behavior of new IE windows is duplicated in Windows Explorer windows
in Windows 2000 as well, interestingly: new windows are the same
size, but at a slightly different position as the preceding window.
Another new feature reuses existing browser windows when a shortcut
is launched, if desired. Available in Advanced Options, selecting
"Reuse Windows for Launching Shortcuts" will use an
existing browser window when a URL is opened from a shortcut or
other non-browser entity (Figure 3).
Otherwise, a new browser window will open. As someone who is
frustrated every time a new link opens over an existing Web page,
I'll definitely be unselecting this option. Kudos to Microsoft for
including it.
Internet Explorer is also smarter about installing, upgrading, and
uninstalling. When you choose to install or upgrade Internet
Explorer 5.01 or higher, the Active Setup routine scans your system
for IE files and only downloads and installs files that are newer
than the ones currently on the system. This nicely reduces the
amount of time it takes to do the upgrade, a nice touch. When
uninstalling Internet Explorer 5.01, the previous version of IE is
automatically restored since setup automatically saves this
information for you. Previous versions of IE had sporadic problems
with this feature in certain conditions.
Outlook Express received a few changes as well, such as the ability
to request a read receipt on email (Figure
5) . This feature notifies you when email that you've sent is
read, and it was previously only available in Microsoft's expensive
Outlook 2000. Outlook Express also includes some new stationary, for
those who are into that sort of thing.
But Microsoft has done users wrong by including an advertising pane
when reading HotMail in Outlook Express (Figure
4). Hotmail support was first included in IE 5.0, but this new
version ads an irritating pane at the bottom of the OE window that
flashes advertisements when working with HotMail. Boo and hiss to
the marketing dweebs that obviously demanded this feature. (Tip: If
you do upgrade to IE 5.01, simply unselected "Outlook
Express," and you can continue to use the previous version from
IE 5.0 and not have to deal with that ads.)
Bugs, security violations, and other issues, oh my
Internet Explorer 5.01 fixes an unbelievable number of bugs and
it is for this reason that most IE users will want to upgrade.
Security problems and bugs of every nature were fixed, including
some nasty ones that can leave IE 5.0 systems open to hacking
attacks. Microsoft has a full list of bug fixes on its Web site, if
you're interested in the gory details.
Despite my complaints about new windows and HotMail, Internet
Explorer 5.01 is a must-have upgrade for any Windows user. Worth the
trouble if only for the bug fixes, IE 5.01 also offers a few new
cool features, though most of them are of an architectural nature
and not very flashy. But Microsoft should be commended for issuing
such a release, and it behooves any security conscious user to go
grab it as quickly as possible.
And, of course, if you're using Windows 2000 RC2 or newer, you've
already got the latest bits so you're ensured the best possible
browsing experience from the get-go.
Figure 1: IE 5.01 is version 5.00.2920.000 on Windows 2K.
Figure 2: To the user, the IE 5.01 Web browser is same old, same old.
Figure 3: Advanced options has some new features such as "Reuse Windows for Launching Shortcuts."
Figure 4: Hotmail users may want to avoid OE 5.01 because of the annoying advertising pane.
Figure 5: Outlook Express also supports a "Read Receipt" feature.