Introduction

Windows XP is built for the Internet, because it has been designed to fully embrace Web technologies. Studies demonstrate that the two most common activities for which people use the Web are reading and sending e-mail and viewing Web pages. Working on the Web is becoming increasingly sophisticated, and the fundamental enabling tools the Web browser and mail client have become more robust and feature-rich. These tools are no longer used for synchronous communication alone; they now facilitate collaboration regardless of where users are situated. Instant messaging has added another dimension to collaboration over the Internet by enabling real-time communication and file transfer.

Internet Explorer 6, Outlook Express 6, and Windows Messenger are included in Windows XP as the default browser, mail client, and instant messaging utility, respectively. These products are more than a simple browser and client. Instant messaging and media tools, among others, have been integrated into all of these products. All products address privacy and security concerns, and because their use is proliferating in the workplace, and business over the Internet is increasing, Microsoft has made it possible to accommodate these and other corporate considerations.

The following chapter addresses the configuration of Internet Explorer, Outlook Express, and Windows Messenger. We describe the new features, and we address the aspects of configuring these products for both everyday and corporate use.

Configuring Internet Explorer 6

You can easily customize Internet Explorer 6 to suit business requirements and individual tastes. Microsoft has built-in features that embrace Web standards, guard the user s...