XWEB: Using Browsers Earlier Than Internet Explorer 5 to Gain Access to Outlook Web Access (253615)

SUMMARY

Microsoft Outlook Web Access (OWA) for Exchange 2000 Server works best when you use Microsoft Internet Explorer 5 or later to gain access to OWA, because Internet Explorer 5 uses dynamic Hypertext Markup Language (DHTML) in combination with Extensible Markup Language (XML) to provide extensive capabilities for collaborative applications.

Supported Web browsers that are earlier than Internet Explorer 5 (Internet Explorer 4.0 or later or Netscape Navigator 4.0 or later) do not fully use OWA for Exchange 2000 capabilities, because these browsers do not support DHTML and XML. The following are some examples of supported browsers earlier than Internet Explorer 5:

Microsoft Internet Explorer 5 for Macintosh and earlier
Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.x for Windows 95 and earlier
Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.01 Service Pack 2 for Windows 98 and earlier
Netscape Navigator 4.x and earlier on all operating systems

MORE INFORMATION

OWA supports any browser that is fully compliant with the HTML 3.2 and European Computer Manufacturers Association (ECMA) script standards. However, because earlier browsers are not fully compliant with these standards, Microsoft recommends that you use Internet Explorer 4.0 or later, or Netscape Navigator 4.0 or later.

IMPORTANT: Internet Explorer 5 may run more slowly on older computers or computers that have limited hardware resources. If your computer lacks the necessary processing power for Internet Explorer 5, consider using Internet Explorer 4.0.

The following table compares browsers.

Feature	Internet Explorer 5.01 for Windows 2000	Other
HTML text composition	Yes	No
Drag-and-drop editing	Yes	No
Preview pane	Yes	No
Tree control	Yes	No

You can only use Kerberos authentication with Internet Explorer 5.01 for Windows 2000 and later.

Although other supported browsers do not offer the complete functionality that Internet Explorer 5 does with OWA for Exchange 2000, these earlier supported browsers still enable OWA for Exchange 2000 to match Microsoft Outlook more closely than OWA for earlier versions of Microsoft Exchange Server does. Even though earlier supported browsers minimize the use of client-side scripting, earlier supported browsers operate in a two-frame mode with OWA for Exchange 2000, with a navigation panel on the left that remains constant. Only the right pane renders pages, which reduces network traffic.

For more information about OWA functionality, see the OWA white paper from the following Microsoft Web site:

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/exchange/2000/library/e2kowa.mspx