For all the mistakes made with IE6, the modern web would not be possible without Microsoft's introduction of "XMLHTTPRequest".

IE6 was actually a perfectly fine browser at launch, the trouble was that it stayed current for so long that getting IT infrastructure to abandon it took far longer than it should have. XP and Server 2003 had a similar predicament.

> IE6 was actually a perfectly fine browser at launch, the trouble was that it stayed current for so long that getting IT infrastructure to abandon it took far longer than it should have. XP and Server 2003 had a similar predicament.

My worst experience with Internet Explorer didn't even have to exist. Why did Windows 98 do Windows Update with Internet Explorer? Was there a technical reason why Windows Update had to be coupled with an open web browser session? My memory isn't that good but from what I recall it was really painful over dial up (technically up to 48kbps but in practice, you'd be lucky to get half of that).

> Was there a technical reason why Windows Update had to be coupled with an open web browser session

Yes, it was so that Microsoft can claim that IE4 was an integral part of the OS and couldn't be removed.

IE6 was released in 2001, 3 years before Firefox 1.0.

At the time, it was indeed a gift and Netscape was already on its dying legs with Netscape 6, bloated beyond recognition