In this chapter we have taken a fast paced look at the new features that make up IE4. The six most significant features are the shell extensions, the active desktop, multimedia controls, webcasting technology, the communication tools suite and Dynamic HTML. As the way in which IE4 communicates with Web servers is crucial to its operation, we also took the time to look at the technology that Microsoft has now delivered to provide the Active Platform. We finally took a very brief overview of an alternative web integration technology, Java.
As this book is all about IE4 programming, we won't be really be considering the new extensions to the shell or the communication tools suite (except for NetShow) as they aren't really programmable. Instead we will be concentrating solely on the other four features, starting with Dynamic HTML. This is the language that enables many of the new features and so it's important to know it in some detail. This text will help you to wind your way through the complexities and subtleties of this emerging technology, and show you what can be done with the features found within Microsoft's Internet Explorer 4.0.