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Internet Explorer for Mac

TSE

TSE

macrumors 601
Original poster
Jun 25, 2007
4,050
3,581
St. Paul, Minnesota
Anyone remember when Internet Explorer was the default browser for Mac?

I remember using it for Mac OS 9 and it was actually my favorite; it was fast, simple, and the UI looked like it belonged on a Mac.

Not that I am not satisfied with Safari, it's just that Internet Explorer 9 for Windows has become my favorite browser because the UI is so simple and it is just plain awesome. The UI literally takes almost 1/4 less screen real estate over Safari.

Does anyone know why Microsoft quit developing Internet Explorer for Mac? Was it because of lack of interest? I don't think Apple fans are as anti-Microsoft as they used to be, now that Google is Apple's #1 competitor now, and the fact is Internet Explorer is one of the best browsers available nowadays.
 
It was a deal between Apple and Microsoft that brought IE to the Mac back when Apple needed money from Microsoft. It wasn't very popular among the Mac fans.

You can turn off the bookmark bar in Safari and make it even simpler. But I don't see what your hard on with IE is.
 
Kilamite said:
It was a deal between Apple and Microsoft that brought IE to the Mac back when Apple needed money from Microsoft. It wasn't very popular among the Mac fans.

You can turn off the bookmark bar in Safari and make it even simpler. But I don't see what your hard on with IE is.
Click to expand...

I realize that there was a deal that made it the default browser of Macs, but that didn't mean Microsoft had to immediately end development after it lost the default browser position. Was it that unpopular?

I don't exactly have a hard on for a browser, lol. That's silly. I just use whatever browser is best and right now it's IE. Previously it was Safari. And before that it was Opera.
 
They stopped development when Apple came out with Safari.

I find that preference often comes down to what you use the most.

I don't know how you could get more minimal than this:
 

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I've hated IE since I first used Windows - and that was back before I knew anything about web development or had much experience at all with user interfaces. It just never felt good to me. I think Opera has a good look, but I've never caught on with that either.

Google Chrome is not at all what it's hyped to be - the speed difference is so minimal that unless you look for it you notice, and even then you miss it much of the time. Firefox isn't as good as it used to be when it toppled IE.

I use Safari because it's the most integrated with my computer and it feels like a piece of Mac software.
 
In my opinion Safari is just Apple's IE.

If anything, I would really like to see IE9 be ported somehow to the Mac. It's my main browser when using Windows and it is the most beautiful browser I have ever used. I really like IE9. If you're on Windows I strongly recommend you try it.
 
chrf097 said:
In my opinion Safari is just Apple's IE.
Click to expand...

+1 to that. I've found Firefox, Chrome, or Camino all to be better than Safari for almost everything and I don't even know the last time I opened Safari. I think to test out that reader option.

Though I haven't tried out IE9 on a Win7 computer. The only one I have occasional access to is our accounting workstation at work that I sometimes need to go on.

To OP - I bet Microsoft doesn't see the point in restarting a team to port over IE9 to Mac now that it has been so long since IE was last on OSX and not that there are so many more options (Firefox, Chrome, Opera, etc.) to use.
 
IE 5 for Mac is gold. I love using it still just for kicks.

Ever since Apple came out with Safari I was thrilled to use it. It may be a RAM big but the feel of it, simplicity, great addons and of course all the sync functions made me like the browser more and more.
 
IE9 is the best version since IE4 tbh. The rest in between them versions were trash.

Still not my web browser of choice, I'm an Opera fan. But I do agree that IE9 is better than Safari, at least in the terms of the UI.
 
What is so great about the UI? It puts tabs on the same level as the address bar, yet still doesn't save any more space than chrome does altogether. I can't stand it.
 
I have an old copy of Mosaic 2.7b???? compiled for Mac OS X PPC using the X11 gui.

I would find the use of Mosaic far more preferable than using ms ie.
 
IE for mac

well, i just convinced my wife (the last person using pcs in my home) to switch from pc to apple. Now all our computers at home are macs: two macbooks and one iMac. The problem is she needs to access her work site for her pay documents and it requires a use of Internet Explorer. It won't work with Safari or Google Chrome. We don't have any PCS though, and the last Internet Exlorer (i think 5) is not opening on current Apple system.

What is the solution?

Is there a way to make one of the current browsers appear as Internet Explorer so it can trick my wife's work site to open?
 
Haha I remember IE on OS9 - I was very young back then, and I found it alright, although it aged very badly :eek: TBH though I'd rather use the latest explorer than the latest Safari... IMO Safari has gotten worse and IE has gotten better :)
 
Still on Windows at the moment. I used to use IE (not sure the version(s) lol) and switched to Firefox cause my brother convinced me. It worked fine but eventually it just got weird so I went back to IE. Then I started using Chrome and haven't looked back. I like how it works for me.
 
absolutic said:
well, i just convinced my wife (the last person using pcs in my home) to switch from pc to apple. Now all our computers at home are macs: two macbooks and one iMac. The problem is she needs to access her work site for her pay documents and it requires a use of Internet Explorer. It won't work with Safari or Google Chrome. We don't have any PCS though, and the last Internet Exlorer (i think 5) is not opening on current Apple system.

What is the solution?

Is there a way to make one of the current browsers appear as Internet Explorer so it can trick my wife's work site to open?
Click to expand...

Yes, try changing the User Agent to IE.

Safari > Preferences > Advanced > Show Develop menu in menu bar.

Develop > User Agent > Internet Explorer
 
iexplorer compatible websites on mac

Anyone knows how to view iexplorer compatible websites on mac os? My online banking only works with iexplorer and I used to have a virtual box and win xp installed on my old macbook. I recently purchased a macbook air and I just don`t want to install the whole thing again. Is there a simplier way?
 
Higany8 said:
Anyone knows how to view iexplorer compatible websites on mac os? My online banking only works with iexplorer and I used to have a virtual box and win xp installed on my old macbook. I recently purchased a macbook air and I just don`t want to install the whole thing again. Is there a simplier way?
Click to expand...

Have you tried the solutions offered in this thread already?
 
I primarily use Safari. My alternative is Firefox. I wouldn't touch IE with a ten foot pole if it was offered for macs.
 
cambookpro said:
IE 9 is horrible.
It doesn't support many modern web standards fully, like HTML5 and CSS 3: http://people.mozilla.com/~prouget/ie9/ie9_vs_fx4.html

And that's compared to Firefox, which isn't even a great browser. Good, not great.

It may look nice, but so does Chrome, Safari et al.
Click to expand...

HTML5 isn't even finalised yet, it is still in development.

If you're going to harper on about CSS 3, why not bring in CSS 4?
 
cambookpro said:
IE 9 is horrible.
It doesn't support many modern web standards fully, like HTML5 and CSS 3: http://people.mozilla.com/~prouget/ie9/ie9_vs_fx4.html

And that's compared to Firefox, which isn't even a great browser. Good, not great.

It may look nice, but so does Chrome, Safari et al.
Click to expand...

Do any major sites support HTML5/CSS3 only? Even reddit uses an old-as-heck layout that renders on every broswer known to mankind, and that's a major techie site.

Careful you're not getting caught up in the "latest and greatest" hype. And if you are, you should probably switch over to a PC where you can get the newest core CPU's the day they're released :p
 
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