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What's New IE5 - Significant Changes

First of all, since IE5 will be released in late 1998, the system requirements will probably be around the same as IE4. But once Chrome becomes available a 350 MHz-class or better systems with AGP. It will be available to Windows 98 and Windows NT 5.0 users running. Exact product packaging and distribution has not been determined.

One of Netscape Communicator's selling points is its E-mail integration, and the next version of IE would presumably benefit from offering similar functionality. Clearly, sophisticated personalization features are going to be increasingly demanded by both subsets of users.

Visual Basic Script developer Aaron Bertrand said he'd like IE 5.0 to include the ability for the user to detect whether cookies, style sheets, ActiveX controls and JavaScript objects are enabled, along with a way to detect whether certain types of typefaces and fonts are installed on a system. Those features "would make designing for the Web a much easier task," he said. As a Web surfer, Bertrand said he'd like IE 5.0 to include a more dependable and controllable cache system, smaller memory requirements both for RAM and hard-disk space, and a simpler HTML mail interface.

Another change expected in IE 5.0 is the removal of the Active Channel tool bar from the default desktop. Microsoft has yet to decide to kill the tool bar but regardless of its choice, the company will continue to offer users alternative ways to access Active Channels from the desktop, Microsoft officials said.

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