About IE Installation Requirements

Before installing Database Commander, please verify that you have previously installed a Microsoft Internet browser (Internet Explorer version 4 or more recent) on your system.  THIS IS A TECHNICAL ISSUE, not a political one.

Database Commander uses the ActiveX scripting components installed by Internet Explorer (IE) in order to provide scripting function in Formula Builder and Active Columns. Any "minimum" IE4 or IE5 or greater installation will add these capabilities to your Windows system. Download and install Microsoft's latest browser free by clicking the button at right. 

You don't actually have to use Microsoft's browser as your default browser. If you like, install and use Mosaic, Opera or even AOL's Netscape or whatever other browser you like as your default Internet browser. Commander simply uses the IE installation as a vehicle to make sure your Windows system contains all necessary Windows ActiveX scripting facilities.  It's true that the Commander installation scripts could have added the scripting engines required.  However, there are important reasons why it makes better sense to exploit IE installations.

We exploit the IE installation for three reasons:

1) Many users already have IE installed. For such users, this means we can reduce the Database Commander download by several megabytes... an important consideration for International customers who are downloading Commander via slow or expensive Internet connections.

2) Installation of ActiveX scripting using VBscript is technically difficult to accomplish in an error-free manner given the wide range of Microsoft operating releases from the earliest Windows '95 release to the latest Windows 2000 release. Microsoft has spent vast sums to guarantee that the IE installation scripts correctly install the required components no matter what combination of previous Microsoft operating systems and .dll's have been installed. By exploiting the IE install, we can make sure these important Windows operating system facilities will be installed in an error free way.  By leveraging Microsoft's investments in this area, we can avoid "reinventing the wheel" and thus invest more resources into building a stronger Database Commander for you.

3) Future editions of IE will automatically incorporate Microsoft corrections and improvements to the components installed. This automatically will improve your Database Commander installation when new versions of IE are installed. Since Microsoft checks new operating system versions against compatibility for previous IE installations, this also provides a higher likelihood that your Database Commander installation will continue to function within future Microsoft O/S releases without an update from us.

If you do not have IE4 or greater installed on your machine, Database Commander will nonetheless install and launch. However, it will not be able to launch the scripting engine and so you will not be able to use Formula Builder or Active Columns. Due to possible side effects, we do not provide technical support if IE4 or greater is not installed on your system.

To Summarize: Using IE to make sure the host Windows system is correctly upgraded is a "street smart" development maneuver that provides higher quality, enhanced function and greater installation reliability to our customers.  Hey! There's that cute little "Get IE" button again!

Visit the Manifold.net Online Store right now to order Database Commander.  Database Commander may be purchased and downloaded within minutes for instant gratification!