Think of IE 5.0 as IE 4.0 done right: All of the rough areas have been smoothed out and in the place of the IE 4.0 pig is a small, elegant, and yes, quick, Web browser that comes optionally bundled with a full suite of Internet applications that many people are going to find irresistible. And unlike IE 4.0, which was the first version of Internet Explorer to truly drive its tendrils into the heart of Windows, IE 5.0 offers a stable platform for future operating systems from Redmond.

Installation
Most people that install IE 5.0 manually will do so over the Web, using one of Microsoft's many download mirrors. The process is similar, though superior, to that employed by IE 4.0: The user downloads a small (~600KB) file that orchestrates the actually downloading of Internet Explorer (Figure). But this program is far nicer than its predecessor, as you can now optionally download IE only (and install from the hard drive at a later time) or install the program live over the Internet. If you choose the second option, the installation program will be able to pick up where it left off if your connection drops. Perhaps most surprisingly, there is even an option to "retain" your version of IE 4.0, so that you can run both IE 4.0 and 5.0 at the same time. A couple of caveats here: The 4.0 browser that's left on your system is not the same one you had before, but a "reference" IE 4.0 Web browser supplied by Microsoft. And none of your older tools--such as Outlook Express 4.0--will be retained at all if you upgrade them to the new 5.0 versions.

In any event, most people will probably welcome the new minimal install of Internet Explorer 5.0, which clocks in at a relatively light 6.5 MB (Compare this to the base install of Netscape Communicator 4.51, which requires a whopping 13.4 MB). And any user of Internet Explorer 5.0 will benefit from its new auto-install feature, which prompts you to download new bits on the fly if you don't have them. For example, you might hit a Web site that uses Macromedia Flash, a vector graphics add-in. If you didn't install Flash the first time you setup IE 5.0, the browser will ask you whether you'd like to get it then. It's a welcome addition and it's done right.

Setup allows you to determine which components to install through a dialog box with "Typical," "Minimal," and "Custom" options (Figure). This allows you to hand-tune your installation if desired, using a new Microsoft Installer-style expanding option tree (Figure), where you can check off each component you want. And as you check items off, the dialog displays a changing total size requirement of the components you've selected. After that, the dialog (which curiously changes title to "Windows Update") downloads the components (Figure), installs them, and configures your system (Figure). Then you reboot (Figure and you're good to go.

The only addition to your desktop will be an Internet Connection Wizard shortcut. From this simple Wizard (Figure), you can setup your Internet connection and any email accounts you may have. Once completed, the shortcut is deleted automatically. And Internet Explorer now boots into a nice tour page (Figure) the first time your use it, another nice touch.

Internet Explorer, the Web browser
It's likely that the Web browser--the single product we think of as "Internet Explorer"--will be the tool you use most often. And appropriately, it's been improved the most, with a host of new features, both cosmetically and under the hood. At first glance, Internet Explorer 5.0 is very similar to IE 4.0 (Figure); the toolbars and general style of the program are almost identical. But some of the most stunning changes are there if you look closely.

One of the biggest improvements is the new and improved Favorites, which features a new (and no longer HTML-based, as it was in early betas) Organize Favorites dialog (Figure), which allows you to organize your Web, network, and local shortcuts however you see fit. Notice I mention network and local shortcuts here: The Favorites feature is no longer limited to the Web. You can store links to files and folders anywhere your computer can connect to, be it on the Internet, the network, or your local system. And Organize Favorites allows you to move and copy shortcuts, create and delete folders and perform any other housekeeping chores you might think of. The interface is identical to that employed by the Favorites Explorer Bar (Figure), which was a smart move as consistency is usually something that eludes Microsoft on an ongoing basis.

Speaking of Explorer Bars, the new Search Assistant (Figure), which also reveals itself as an Explorer Bar, offers a stunning improvement over previous versions. Instead of specifying a default search engine (Alta Vista, Excite, or whatever), the new Search Assistant now searches all of the search engines you specify and returns the results into the Explorer Bar. So there's no need to move from search engine to search engine when you're trying to find something: Search Assistant does it for you, offering each engine's results via a drop-down list (Figure). And as with most other things in Internet Explorer, the Search Assistant is fully customizable (Figure), so that you can include or exclude search engines as desired or configure the way it works with a variety of search services.