Internet Explorer

Internet Explorer

Windows Internet Explorer (formerly Microsoft Internet Explorer; abbreviated to MSIE or, more commonly, IE), is a series of graphical web browsers developed by Microsoft and included as part of the Microsoft Windows line of operating systems starting in 1995. It has been the most widely used web browser since 1999, attaining a peak of about 95% usage share during 2002 and 2003 with IE5 and IE6.

That percentage share has since declined in the face of renewed competition from other web browsers – Mozilla Firefox most of all. Its usage share now sits at approximately 50% to 60% and is trending downward. Microsoft spent over $100 million a year on IE[in the late 1990s, with over 1,000 people working on it by 1999.
The latest release is Internet Explorer 8, which is available as a free update for Windows XP with Service Pack 2 or later, Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 1 or later, Windows Vista, and Windows Server 2008, and is included with Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2. Internet Explorer was originally going to be omitted from Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 in Europe, but Microsoft later dropped the plans, and instead included a browser ballot screen with the products, allowing users to select a different web browser if they wish. Versions of Internet Explorer for other operating systems have also been produced, including Internet Explorer Mobile (Windows CE and Windows Mobile), Internet Explorer for Mac (discontinued) and Internet Explorer for UNIX (Solaris and HP-UX).


Internet Explorer was first released as part of the add-on package Plus! for Windows 95 in 1995. Later versions were available as free downloads, or in service packs, and included in the OEM service releases of Windows 95 and later versions of Windows.

Other versions available since the late 1990s include an embedded OEM version called Internet Explorer for Windows CE (IE CE) available for WinCE based platforms and currently based on IE6. Internet Explorer for Pocket PC, later rebranded Internet Explorer Mobile for Windows Mobile was also developed, and remain in development alongside the more advanced desktop versions.