Updated Internet Explorer browser coming soon from Microsoft   July 9, 2000 By JIM BROOKS The latest revision of Microsoft's Internet Explorer Web browser should be available soon, according to a recent dispatch on the CNET Web site. Microsoft has released international versions of the new Internet Explorer 5.5, including Chinese, German, Japanese and Korean versions, and domestic versions will be forthcoming any day now. The browser has been available as a mostly functional "beta" version since around the first of the year. A "final" version was recently released to reviewers and software Web sites. The new Internet Explorer isn't a huge upgrade from the IE version 5.0. Most of the improvements are aimed at improving the browser's compatibility with some new Web standards, including Cascading Style Sheets and other programming languages. The new browser also will offer improve printing of Web pages. IE 5.5 will also be released with the new version of Microsoft Windows operating system, Windows Millennium, which will be arriving in September. The new Microsoft browser will up the ante for Netscape, which is still testing its own browser upgrade, Netscape 6.0. So much has changed in the new Netscape browser that they've skipped "version 5" and decided to jump to "version 6." Netscape 6.0 is still in "beta," and the America Online-owned company says it won't have the final release available until fall -- about the time Windows Millenium is released. For more information, visit Microsoft's Internet Explorer Web site at www.microsoft.com/ie/, or Netscape's Navigator 6 Web site at http://home.netscape.com. WORLDSPY BYE BYE. One of the numerous free Internet service providers has been forced to shut down its operation, unable to make a profit. WorldSpy, launched in October last year, used a business model that differed radically from most of the other free Internet providers now in operation. Most free Internet providers support themselves by selling advertising; these ads show up in the small boxes or windows that appear on the computer's screen each time the free service is used. WorldSpy didn't use the ``ads-must-show-on-your-screen'' business model to pay for its service. Instead, it originally planned to use fees connected to e-commerce transactions by WorldSpy users. Unfortunately, it only signed up 260,000 subscribers -- many fewer than its ad-supported competitors. In the end, the company just couldn't generate sufficient revenues. On July 1, WorldSpy began referring subscribers and new sign-ups to a competitor -- Juno Online Services. Juno has agreed to give WorldSpy shares of Juno stock in exchange for each WorldSpy subscriber that moves to one of Juno's Internet access packages. One incentive for WorldSpy users to switch to Juno is that they can keep their existing e-mail addresses indefinitely, even though they'll be using Juno's services. Juno can be called the "granddaddy" of the "freebies," beginning with free e-mail access that it still offers. Millions signed up for free e-mail accounts, and Juno later expanded to offer full Internet access. And with 3 million subscribers, Juno is the nation's third-largest Internet provider, second only to AOL (23 million subscribers) and Earthlink. Juno offers a variety of Internet access packages, including free ad-supported Internet access. For more information, visit the Juno web site at www.juno.com. MODEM NEWS. As noted recently in this column the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) approved three new standards that will improve upon the existing V.90 56k modem specifications. The main news of interest to modem users is the new V.92 standard, which offers higher upload speeds, faster connect times, and the capability to work hand-in-hand with phone companies' call-waiting services by putting your Internet connecti6on "on hold." This doesn't necessarily mean you need to run out a buy a new modem. The new standard improves upon the existing one, and it will mean more to new computer buyers to make sure their new computer is equipped with the latest modem. There's been no word from manufacturers if existing modems can be upgraded by software to the new standard. Modems compatible with the new V.92 standard will be available later this year. BETTER LATE THAN NEVER. Never mind that e-mail has become a vital tool in everyday business around the globe. The U.S. Postal Service -- the ``Snail Mail'' folks -- wants their piece of the electronic mail pie. The Postal Service is looking over plans for a secure e-mail service that would let postal patrons track and reroute their regular mail over the Internet. The e-mail system could also be used to notify postal patrons of incoming packages, new services or features. The service is still in the planning stages, and is years from operation. The post office is motivated to get in on the electronic mail revolution -- financially motivated. Some estimates say that the postal service could lose up to two-thirds of its first-class mail revenue over the next 10 years because of the Internet. The post office's first-class revenues totaled $60 billion in 1999, and accounted for more than half of the services revenue. Interesting, the post office has benefited from the e-commerce boom -- as a delivery method. The U.S. Postal Service has competed with United Parcel Service and FedEx Corp. for years, and it delivered one-third of all e-commerce orders in 1998, and it is the shipper of choice for a number of e-tailers, including Amazon.com. CORRECTIONS: A number of sharp-eyed readers noticed that I included a couple of incorrect Web site address in a recent column. The correct address for the Internet4Free web site is http://Internet4Free.com. The correct address for Lycos' Free Internet Access is http://free.lycos.com. Comments and questions about this column may be sent to jbrooks@myoldkentuckyhome.com, or visit www.myoldkentuckyhome.com on the World Wide Web. | HOME |