Get the free 'Web Accessories' for Internet Explorer

But remember: These are not supported by Microsoft. The company won't even give you the time of day if you have a problem with them.

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Al Fasoldt's reviews and commentaries, continuously available online since 1983

Get the free 'Web Accessories' for Internet Explorer

March 14, 2001

By Al Fasoldt
Copyright © 2001, The Syracuse Newspapers

   Microsoft's Internet Explorer is the fastest Web browser for Windows, and in some ways it's also the most advanced. But, on its own, it's missing a few features I consider helpful.
   What features am I talking about?
   How about a simple way of opening up an HTML frame in a separate window? Frames are sectioned-off parts of Web pages that behave badly sometimes. Opening a frame in its own window can be a huge improvement.
   Or what about getting a quick list of all the hyperlinks on a page? And wouldn't it be nice to be able to tell your browser to stop loading images with a quick click? How about being able to zoom in on an image to make it bigger? And I'll bet you'd like to be able to search for more information on any word on a Web page, whether it's already a hyperlink or not, right?
   These are just a few of the helpful features added by the free "Web Accessories" from Microsoft. They show up as additional options when you click your right mouse button on part of a Web page.
   They work only with the Windows version of Internet Explorer 5. They install easily and don't require a degree in engineering to use. And Microsoft's Web accessories show a gentler, kinder part of a company that usually can't seem to tie its own corporate shoe laces without falling over.
   Download these add-on programs from www.microsoft.com/Windows/IE/WebAccess/. You'll see many free items on the page, including some that you might not want to download. Please pay attention to what I am about to say.
   The extras I'm recommending are listed as "Web Accessories from Microsoft." The last time I checked the page, Microsoft listed other free Internet Explorer extras that were created by other companies. They're in the "bloatware" category (stuff that just gets in the way). I don't recommend them.
   The ones I recommend for all users are called "Internet Explorer 5 Web Accessories" and "Microsoft Internet Explorer 5 Power Tweaks Web Accessories." If you create or work with Web pages, I also recommend "Microsoft Web Developer Accessories." (They give you, among other things, an unusual ability to view the HTML source code of any highlighted portion of a page just by doing a right click.)
   Some of the add-ons Microsoft offers on this page have a curious disclaimer. It says "This Web accessory is not supported by Microsoft" or something like that. That's a jarring statement from a company that needs to rebuild public confidence, but don't let it worry you. It simply means that nobody at Microsoft wants to deal with the problems these add-on programs might cause. In an era when even freeware programs are supported by tiny companies, I find it hard to understand how Microsoft could shrug off its responsibility this way. But it does, and we're stuck with it.