When it comes to ensuring that browsing the Web is simple and enjoyable, you might say that the buck stops on Eric Berman's desk. Though a visitor might find that Berman's actual desk is quite cluttered, as the program manager for the Internet Explorer 5, Berman is the "captain of clean" in the battle to keep the browser litter-free. 

We recently sat down with Berman to discuss how Internet Explorer 5 makes Web browsing more pristine than ever before.

Perfect for the challenge
Berman relishes his job. He talks enthusiastically -- punctuating his sentences with hand and arm movements, which serve as the equivalent of big black marker pens. At thirtysomething, you might say he is quintessential Microsoft: pony-tailed, fit, driven, energized, and "double-degreed" (M.I.T and Stanford). Nevermind that his credentials are in physics and electrical engineering: Berman looks at how to make browsing easier from a non-technical viewpoint.

"I think about how my parents use computers and I try to make it simpler," he explains. "My job was to think about the user interface, listen to customers, and make sure that we were focused on solving real problems."

All that glitters is not chrome
On a car, chrome might be a shiny attraction, but to Berman, it denotes a sparkling yet irrelevant piece of software."The ideal browser should fade into the background and be invisible. All the "chrome" around the outside is clutter to get in your way," he comments. Brass tacks are in and "chrome" is out in Internet Explorer 5.

By Berman's definition, when you're staring at that inscrutable "Run-Time Error" message and you don't know what to do, that's a real problem. (Cue the arms, as he triple emphasizes his distaste for jargon.)

Berman further explains that with Internet Explorer 5, you'll actually see meaningful information when browsing goes awry. For example, if a Web page can't be found (either because it no longer exists or is no longer at the address entered), this is exactly what you are told; exit the vague " Error 404: Page Not Found." Just as important, stresses Berman, is that users get help in trying to find the missing page through the browser suggesting close matches.

Breaking down the search boundaries
When Berman's team reviewed Internet Explorer 4.0, they realized that many of the features that required the user to click and type could be automated, thus simplifying and speeding up the browsing process. A case in point and perhaps the most common feature of any browser: the search.

The team also challenged the assumption that there is a boundary between your computer and the World Wide Web when conducting a search. "Where different aspects of the search feature live is not important to users. With this release of the Internet Explorer, we tried to blur the line between Web site and browser," says Berman.

By ignoring that boundary, the developers of Internet Explorer 5 were able to simplify and improve searching. The result is a faster and easier-to-use search feature.

The Autocomplete feature is another improved element of browser automation in Internet Explorer 5. Now, in addition to automatically completing Web site addresses previously entered, Autocomplete also attempts to match typed entries to Favorites or folders in your computer.

Stitching it up for seamless connections
The additions above are among Berman's favorite improvements to the browser. He has others, including one which was born mainly out of personal frustration in trying to access both personal and business e-mail connections from his home computer.

"Frequently, when I'm working at home, I'll be using the Web and e-mail through my ISP (Internet Service Provider), and then dial into work to use the corporate network. Before, I had to make all sorts of changes by hand including the proxy settings and dial-up settings. Now it is a totally seamless and invisible transition"

You can almost see him slapping his forehead because this wasn't included in Internet Explorer 4. But he's happy that many others who telecommute from home can enjoy this new feature now.

Despite the obvious pride of ownership in the new version of the browser, Berman concedes that the framework on which Internet Explorer 5 was built was already quite sound. "To use a car analogy: With Internet Explorer 4, we built the front-wheel drive car that can get you from here to there," he explains. "For the new version, we focused on the ergonomics, aesthetics, fancy stereo, and the power windows."

You can test drive the fully-equipped Internet Explorer 5 today by downloading it from the Internet Explorer home page. After you've used it a few times, pause for a moment and give a nod of appreciation to Eric Berman and his team. They're the people who have made browsing a lot easier. 

As telecommuters, Gayle Picken and Gordon Black appreciate the new browser -- especially the multiple connections feature.