Internet Explorer

(commonly pronounced: I-E)

A popular Web browser produced by Microsoft. Internet Explorer was first released after the Netscape browser had already gained market share. At that time, it supported many of the original Netscape HTML extensions (as well as some of its own, such as bgsound.src, which allows a sound file to load automatically when a Web page is accessed). There are now many versions of IE, and each one strives to offer more bells-and-whistles than the previous (which can become annoying because you finally get to know one interface and then it changes). Nonetheless, IE can grow on you.

Microsoft is currently being sued by the U.S. Department of Justice for violating antitrust regulations because it bundled IE with the Windows operating system, gaining a competitive advantage in the browser market (since Windows had already attained critical mass).

Even though many die-hard netizens were originally loyal to Netscape, the IE product line has proven itself as a reliable browser.