Internet Explorer 4.0 completely redefines the way Web pages look and work:

Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) provide more control and flexibility than ordinary HTML.
Scripting uses Internet Explorer 4.0's powerful object model with real-time access to page elements.
Web pages can include complete client-side applications.

These three changes have implications for designers that shake the very foundations of the traditional "Web page." Here's why:

Powerful Design Improved support for CSS enables you to design a Web page the way you would design a printed page. You have complete control over the position of page elements, lots of options for font styles, and the ability to control margins and layout. But similarities to print publication are just part of the story. Click the Layout and Style tabs for details.
Turbocharged Interactivity Scripting gives you the power to add interactivity to a Web page. This includes simple stuff, such menus that highlight on mouseover, as well as fancy stuff like games. But high-falutin' interactivity is just part of the power you now have; click the Interactivity, Special Effects, and Animation tabs for descriptions and examples.
Web-Based Applications Because Internet Explorer 4.0 supports everything from client-side data manipulation to dynamic page content, you can create complete Web-based applications as well as great Web pages. Now that you can write powerful scripts that execute on the client side, response times are extremely fast. This means that the design possibilities for a Web page can be as interactive and wide-ranging as those for any other form of application development. And if you want real power, combine these features with Active Server Pages for total control.

Put all of this together and you have a revolution as sweeping as the change from the text-based Internet to the graphical World Wide Web. Internet Explorer puts full design and interactive control into your hands. This article, for one thing, isn't like any online article you've ever read. It uses Internet Explorer 4.0 and Dynamic HTML to create a fully interactive experience. Begin by clicking any tab above.

Note: You can use keystrokes to navigate around this tutorial. Press 1 through 6 to jump to a page from here ("Layout" is page 1, and so forth; press 0 to return to this page). Or press the S or H keys on pages 1 through 6 to show or hide the examples available to you. Keystroke navigation is possible using the Event object's keyCode property; right-click the tan background and select View Source to see how it's done -- look for the function documentKeyPress().

For more detailed information about creating pages with Dynamic HTML, visit the Active Channel Tutorial.