from: WINDOWS 2000 MAGAZINE UPDATE The weekly Windows 2000 and Windows NT industry update newsletter http://www.win2000mag.net/Email/Index.cfm?ID=1

* INTERNET EXPLORER 5.01 RELEASED, IE 5.5 "NEXT WEEK" Last week, Microsoft quietly released Internet Explorer (IE) 5.01 Service Pack 1 (SP1), which offers numerous bug fixes and updates to the latest version of IE (for now). But IE 5.01 SP1 also reportedly updates the Outlook Express (OE) component on Windows 2000 machines to IE 5.5 levels. Meanwhile, IE 5.5, which will ship "next week" according to company insiders I talked to recently, will not upgrade OE to version 5.5 if you're running Win2K but will if you're running other Windows OSs. Confused? Me, too. And explain to me why IE 5.5, which was literally completed a month ago tomorrow, isn't out yet. And why was the IE 5.01 SP1 beta so sparsely tested? According to beta testers, the same group of people tested IE 5.5 and 5.01 SP1, but virtually no one chose to test IE 5.01 SP1. Would you trust your machine with a release like that when you can't even depend on Microsoft to properly test its high-profile Windows NT 4.0 and Office 97/2000 service packs? For more information about IE 5.01 SP1 and its bugs, visit http://www.wininformant.com/.

-- cpr (buytexas@swbell.net), July 11, 2000

Answers

So far, no problems with IE5.01,SP1 on three Win98,Ed2 machines. Sounds, however, like an upgrade to IE5.5 many not be such a bad idea when it becomes available.

By the way CRP -- good to see you making a positive contribution to the forum again.

-- E.H. Porter (Just Wondering@About.it), July 11, 2000.

For any concerned, I am stuck in a Hell-Whole of versions of programs which have glitches, and connection problems. Though our most expert I.T. cannot solve. But to hear them talk, we (us) are the stupidos. So why haven't they resolved the problems? Because they do not know Jack, beyond their cubicle. Call them to task, Do Not Let Them Lie Down, and Do Not Let Them Go Easy.

-- My Story (andi@msticking.com), July 11, 2000.

My Story -- all programs have glitches; all have (potential) connection problems. You're lucky you have an IT department to try and figure things out. I have to do these things myself.

Perhaps, as many have said before, this explains why Y2K was a non- event. Glitches are a way of life. Anyone using a computer gets used to working around them.

And, I'm not complaining. I'd rather have a Pentium III with glitches than an incredibly stable and perfected 10 year old AT 12mhz 286 machine. After all, no one made you buy new hardware and software. I suspect that if you went back to 1990 vintage DOS software and hardware, things would work perfectly.

Personally, I am glad to be around while things are evolving this quickly.

-- E.H. Porter (Just Wondering@About.it), July 12, 2000.