Internet-Enhanced Client

Applications written using the Microsoft Win32 application programming interface (API) offer the most functionality to developers. These applications are, of course, limited to platforms that support the Win32 API. Through the use of component technology, developers can access the Internet technologies in the Windows application platform from within a Win32 application. Applications written to the Win32 API that take advantage of system features and utilize Internet connectivity are called Internet-enhanced applications. Some common examples are the Microsoft Office 97 and Microsoft Visual StudioŽ version 6.0 development systems. These applications support unified browsing by embedding hyperlinks within an application, host the browser for the display of documentation written in DHTML, and provide the capability to seamlessly download updates to the products over the Internet.