Internet Explorer 6 is due to go gold next week and will be released on August 15 as a standalone program. Microsoft has thanked beta testers for their help and is suggesting that build 2530.1 of IE6 will go gold next week.
IE 6 will feature automatic picture resizing, integrated media playback and support for the personal privacy standard, P3P (the Platform for Privacy Preferences), which blocks third party cookies.
Microsoft was forced to scrap the Smart Tags feature, which offered more detailed information on words found on Web sites. These links however, turned to be biased towards Microsoft sites in early betas of the product and, amid heavy criticism, the feature has been shelved. Poor feedback from beta testers resulted in Microsoft deciding to abandon the much-vaunted Personal Bar and Contacts features from the finished version of Internet Explorer 6.
Internet Explorer 6 will be included in all versions of Microsoft's operating system. It will also come with PCs shipped with Windows XP from October 25.
IE 5.5 SP2 and Internet Tools
Internet Explorer 5.5 Service Pack 2 and Internet Tools. The newest version of Internet Explorer includes improved support for DHTML and CSS, which gives Web architects greater control over browser appearance and behavior. Enjoy the ability to preview Web pages exactly as they appear when printed. Internet Explorer 5.5 Service Pack 2 (SP2) makes it easier than ever to connect to the Internet and find the information you need. With Internet Explorer 5.5 SP2, you can use Connection Manager as your default dialer when Dial-Up Networking is already installed.
During installation, you can choose from a list of components that are designed to work with Internet Explorer 5.5 SP2. If you decide you want additional components after installation, return to the Product Updates catalog to download and install them.
IE 6 Public Preview
This is the latest release of the Internet Explorer 6 public beta. Internet Explorer 6 is a set of core technologies in Windows XP Home Edition and Windows XP Professional. It provides a private, reliable, and flexible browsing experience and the freedom to experience the best of the Internet for users of Windows 98 & Windows 98 Second Edition, Windows Millennium Edition (Windows Me), Windows NT® 4.0 Workstation and Windows 2000 Professional. Total download size for a typical installation is approximately 25 megabytes (MB). However, because setup downloads only those files that are necessary for your computer, this size may vary between 11 and 75 MB.