Trident (software)

Last updated
Trident
Other namesMSHTML [1] [2] [3]
Developer(s) Microsoft
Initial releaseAugust 1997;27 years ago (1997-08)
Final release
8.0
Written in C++ [4]
Operating system Microsoft Windows
Successor EdgeHTML
Type Browser engine
License Proprietary
Website docs.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/windows/internet-explorer/ie-developer/platform-apis/aa741317(v=vs.85) OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

Trident [1] [2] [3] (also known as MSHTML [1] [2] [5] ) is a proprietary browser engine for the Microsoft Windows version of Internet Explorer, developed by Microsoft.

Contents

MSHTML debuted with the release of Internet Explorer 4 in 1997. For versions 7 and 8 of Internet Explorer, Microsoft made significant changes to MSHTML's layout capabilities to improve compliance with Web standards and add support for new technologies. [6] [7] [8]

MSHTML will continue to receive security updates [9] for the IE mode of Microsoft Edge until at least 2029. However, support for new Web standards will not be added.

Use in software development

MSHTML was designed as a software component to allow software developers to easily add web browsing functionality to their own applications. It presents a COM interface for accessing and editing web pages in any COM-supported environment, like C++ and .NET. For instance, a web browser control can be added to a C++ program and MSHTML can then be used to access the page currently displayed in the web browser and retrieve element values. Events from the web browser control can also be captured. MSHTML functionality becomes available by linking the file mshtml.dll to the software project.

Release history

MSHTML versionMSHTML.dll version Internet Explorer version Internet Explorer Mobile versionNotes
No version [10] 4.0.x 4.0 —Initial version.
5.0.x 5.0 —Improved CSS 1 support and had sweeping changes in CSS 2 rendering.
5.5.x 5.5 —Corrected issues with CSS handling.
6.0.x 6.0 —Corrected the box model and added quirks mode with DTD switching.
7.0.x 7.0 —Fixed many CSS rendering issues and added partial PNG alpha support.
—— 6.0 IEMobile 6 combines many features of IE 6, 7, and 8. [11]
3.1 [12] [13] 7.0— 7.0 Second port on a mobile system of MSHTML. IE Mobile version for Windows Phone 7.
4.0 [14] 8.0.x 8.0 —First version to pass the Acid 2 test. [4] Added full support for CSS 2.1. [15]
5.0 [10] 9.0.x 9.0 9.0 Added support for SVG, XHTML, HTML5, and CSS 3. Added a new hardware-accelerated JScript engine named Chakra. Scores 100/100 on the Acid3 test. Included with IE 9 Mobile in Windows Phone 7.5 "Mango".
6.0 [16] 10.0.x 10.0 10.0 [17] More support for CSS 3, HTML5 and ES5. Included in Windows Phone 8. Support for linear gradient CSS transitions. [18]
7.011.0.x 11.0 11.0 Support for WebGL and SPDY. Improved support for HTML5. [19] Speed improvement. [20] Included in Windows Phone 8.1.

Use cases

All versions of Internet Explorer for Windows from 4.0 onwards use MSHTML, and it is also used by various other web browsers and software components (see Internet Explorer shells). In Windows 98, Windows Me, and Windows 2000, it is also used for the Windows file manager/shell, Windows Explorer. [21] The Add/Remove Programs tool in Windows 2000 uses MSHTML to render the list of installed programs, [22] and in Windows XP it is also used for the User Accounts Control Panel, which is an HTML Application. [23] MSHTML, however, was not used by Internet Explorer for Mac (which used Tasman starting with version 5.0), nor by the early versions of Internet Explorer Mobile.

Some other MSHTML-based applications include:

Standards compliance

Current versions of MSHTML, as of Internet Explorer 9, have introduced support for CSS 3, HTML5, and SVG, as well as other modern web standards. Web standards compliance was gradually improved with the evolution of MSHTML. Although each version of IE has improved standards support, including the introduction of a "standards-compliant mode" in version 6, the core standards that are used to build web pages (HTML and CSS) were sometimes implemented in an incomplete fashion. For example, there was no support for the <abbr> element which is part of the HTML 4.01 standard prior to IE 8. There were also some CSS attributes missing from MSHTML, like min-height, etc. as of Internet Explorer 6. As of Internet Explorer 8 CSS 2.1 is fully supported as well as some CSS 3.0 attributes. [15] This lack of standards compliance has been known to cause rendering bugs and lack of support for modern web technologies, which often increases development time for web pages. [25] Still, HTML rendering differences between standards-compliant browsers are not yet completely resolved.

Microsoft alternatives

Apart from MSHTML, Microsoft also has and uses several other layout engines. One of them, known as Tasman, was used in Internet Explorer 5 for Mac. Development of Internet Explorer for Mac was halted in roughly 2003, but development of Tasman continued to a limited extent, and was later included in Office 2004 for Mac. Office for Mac 2011 uses the open source WebKit engine. Microsoft's now defunct web design product, Expression Web, as well as Visual Studio 2008 and later, do not use Internet Explorer's MSHTML engine, but rather a different engine. [26]

In 2014, MSHTML was forked to create the engine EdgeHTML for Microsoft Edge on Windows 10. The new engine is "designed for interoperability with the modern web" and deprecates or removes a number of legacy components and behaviors, including document modes, ensuring that pure, standards-compliant HTML will render properly in browsers without the need for special considerations by web developers. [27] [28] This resulted in a completely new browser called Microsoft Edge (later referred to as "Microsoft Edge Legacy", [29] with a flat blue "e" icon) which replaced Internet Explorer as Windows' stock browser and became the base of Microsoft's web related services, until its replacement with a Blink / Chromium [30] [31] -based browser, also called Microsoft Edge [32] [33] (with a brand new wave-like icon) in late 2020.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Internet Explorer</span> Web browser series by Microsoft

Internet Explorer is a retired series of graphical web browsers developed by Microsoft that were used in the Windows line of operating systems. While IE has been discontinued on most Windows editions, it remains supported on certain editions of Windows, such as Windows 10 LTSB/LTSC. Starting in 1995, it was first released as part of the add-on package Plus! for Windows 95 that year. Later versions were available as free downloads or in-service packs and included in the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) service releases of Windows 95 and later versions of Windows. Microsoft spent over US$100 million per year on Internet Explorer in the late 1990s, with over 1,000 people involved in the project by 1999. New feature development for the browser was discontinued in 2016 and ended support on June 15, 2022 for Windows 10 Semi-Annual Channel (SAC), in favor of its successor, Microsoft Edge.

JScript is Microsoft's legacy dialect of the ECMAScript standard that is used in Microsoft's Internet Explorer web browser and HTML Applications, and as a standalone Windows scripting language.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Browser wars</span> Competition between web browsing applications for share of worldwide usage

A browser war is a competition for dominance in the usage share of web browsers. The "first browser war" (1995–2001) consisted of Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator, and the "second browser war" (2004-2017) between Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Google Chrome.

Tasman is a discontinued browser engine developed by Microsoft for inclusion in the Macintosh version of Internet Explorer 5. Tasman was an attempt to improve support for web standards, as defined by the World Wide Web Consortium. At the time of its release, Tasman was seen as the layout engine with the best support for web standards such as HTML and CSS. Internet Explorer for Mac is no longer supported, but newer versions of Tasman were incorporated in some other Microsoft products.

about is an internal URI scheme implemented in various web browsers to reveal internal state and built-in functions. It is an IANA officially registered scheme, and is standardized.

The idea of the removal of Internet Explorer (IE) from Windows was proposed during the United States v. Microsoft Corp. case. Later, security advocates took up the idea as a way to protect Windows systems from attacks via IE vulnerabilities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Internet Explorer 7</span> Web browser for Windows

Windows Internet Explorer 7 (IE7) is a version of Internet Explorer, a web browser for Windows. It was released by Microsoft on October 18, 2006. It was the first major update to the browser since 2001. It does not support versions of Windows earlier than Windows XP and Windows Server 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Acid2</span> Online HTML rendering test

Acid2 is a webpage that test web browsers' functionality in displaying aspects of HTML markup, CSS 2.1 styling, PNG images, and data URIs. The test page was released on 13 April 2005 by the Web Standards Project. The Acid2 test page will be displayed correctly in any application that follows the World Wide Web Consortium and Internet Engineering Task Force specifications for these technologies. These specifications are known as web standards because they describe how technologies used on the web are expected to function.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Internet Explorer</span>

Microsoft developed 11 versions of Internet Explorer for Windows from 1995 to 2013, as well as Internet Explorer for Mac, Internet Explorer for UNIX, and Internet Explorer Mobile.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Internet Explorer Mobile</span> Mobile version of Internet Explorer web browser by Microsoft

Internet Explorer Mobile was a mobile version of Internet Explorer developed by Microsoft, based on versions of the MSHTML (Trident) layout engine. IE Mobile comes loaded by default with Windows Phone and Windows CE. Later versions of Internet Explorer Mobile are based on the desktop version of Internet Explorer. Older versions however, called Pocket Internet Explorer, are not based on the same layout engine.

In computing, quirks mode is an approach used by web browsers to maintain backward compatibility with web pages designed for old web browsers, instead of strictly complying with web standards in standards mode. This behavior has since been codified, so what was previously standards mode is now referred to as simply no quirks mode.

An HTML Application (HTA) is a Microsoft Windows program whose source code consists of HTML, Dynamic HTML, and one or more scripting languages supported by Internet Explorer, such as VBScript or JScript. The HTML is used to generate the user interface, and the scripting language is used for the program logic. An HTA executes without the constraints of the internet browser security model; in fact, it executes as a "fully trusted" application.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Internet Explorer 8</span> Web browser for Windows released in 2009

Windows Internet Explorer 8 (IE8) is a web browser for Windows. It was released by Microsoft on March 19, 2009, and is the default browser on Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Internet Explorer 9</span> Web browser for Windows released in 2011

Internet Explorer 9 or IE9 is the ninth major version of the Internet Explorer web browser for Windows. It was released by Microsoft on March 14, 2011, as the successor to Internet Explorer 8. Microsoft released Internet Explorer 9 as a major out-of-band version that was not tied to the release schedule of any particular version of Windows, unlike previous versions. It is the first version of Internet Explorer not to be bundled with a Windows operating system, although some OEMs have installed it with Windows on their PCs. Internet Explorer 9 was the last version to be called Windows Internet Explorer. The software was rebranded simply as Internet Explorer starting with the release of Internet Explorer 10.

Internet Explorer is a series of graphical web browsers developed by Microsoft and included as part of the Microsoft Windows line of operating systems, starting in 1995.

An Internet Explorer shell is a class of computer program that uses the Internet Explorer browser engine, known as MSHTML and previously Trident. This engine is closed-source, but Microsoft has exposed an application programming interface (API) that permits the developers to instantiate either MSHTML or a full-fledged chromeless Internet Explorer within the graphical user interface of their software.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Internet Explorer 10</span> Web browser by Microsoft for Windows released in 2012

Internet Explorer 10 (IE10) is the tenth, and by now, discontinued, version of the Internet Explorer web browser and the successor to Internet Explorer 9, released by Microsoft on September 4, 2012. It is the default browser on Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012, and was later made available for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2. It does not support Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, or earlier versions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Internet Explorer 11</span> Web browser by Microsoft for Windows released in 2013

Internet Explorer 11 (IE11) is the eleventh and final version of the Internet Explorer web browser. It was initially included in the release of Windows 8.1, Windows RT 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2 on October 17, 2013, and was later released for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 on November 7, 2013. It is the successor to Internet Explorer 10, released the previous year, and was the original, default browser in Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2. Internet Explorer 11 was also included in the release of Windows 10 on July 29, 2015, as well as in Windows Server 2016 and Windows Server 2019. On April 16, 2019, Internet Explorer 11 was made available to Windows Server 2012 and Windows Embedded 8 Standard, the only still supported edition of Windows 8 as the final expansion of Internet Explorer 11 availability. Internet Explorer 11, like its predecessor, is not available for Windows 8, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, and earlier versions of Windows and Windows Server.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Internet Explorer 10</span> Web browser by Microsoft for Windows released in 2012

Internet Explorer 10 (IE10) is the tenth, and by now, discontinued, version of the Internet Explorer web browser and the successor to Internet Explorer 9, released by Microsoft on September 4, 2012. It is the default browser on Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012, and was later made available for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2. It does not support Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, or earlier versions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Microsoft Edge Legacy</span> Web browser developed by Microsoft (2015–2020)

Microsoft Edge Legacy, originally released as simply Microsoft Edge or Edge is a discontinued proprietary cross-platform web browser created by Microsoft. Released in 2015 along with both Windows 10 and Xbox One, it was built with Microsoft's own proprietary browser engine, EdgeHTML, and their Chakra JavaScript engine.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "A Vulnerability in Microsoft MSHTML Could Allow for Remote Code Execution". New York State Office of Information Technology Services. September 8, 2021. Retrieved 2023-03-14.
  2. 1 2 3 "Internet Explorer - Trident Engine". Microsoft Support.
  3. 1 2 "RIP Internet Explorer: Microsoft's iconic browser is being killed off in June". PCWorld.
  4. 1 2 "Internet Explorer 8 and Acid2: A Milestone", IEBlog, Microsoft Docs , 2007-12-19, retrieved 2022-01-01
  5. ↑ "Analyzing attacks that exploit the CVE-2021-40444 MSHTML vulnerability". Microsoft Security. 15 September 2021.
  6. ↑ "Details on our CSS changes for IE7". IEBlog. Microsoft Docs . 2006-08-22. Retrieved 2022-01-01.
  7. ↑ "Overview of Platform Improvements in IE8 RC1". IEBlog. Microsoft Docs . 2009-01-29. Retrieved 2022-01-01.
  8. ↑ "Microsoft's Interoperability Principles and IE8". IEBlog. Microsoft Docs . 2008-03-03. Retrieved 2022-01-01.
  9. ↑ "Lifecycle FAQ - Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge". Microsoft Lifecycle Policy. Microsoft Docs . 2021-11-03. Archived from the original on 2022-06-13. Retrieved 2022-06-13. Microsoft is committed to supporting Internet Explorer mode in Microsoft Edge through at least 2029, on supported operating systems.
  10. 1 2 "Introducing IE9's User Agent String", IEBlog, Microsoft Docs , 2010-03-23, retrieved 2022-01-01
  11. ↑ Cox, John (2008-12-21), "Microsoft Tackles the Mobile Browser", PC World , archived from the original on 2021-01-29
  12. ↑ Warren, Tom (2010-03-15), "Windows Phone 7 browser is based on Internet Explorer 7", Neowin , retrieved 2022-01-01
  13. ↑ "Ladies and Gentlemen, Please Welcome... the IE Mobile User Agent String!", IE for Windows Phone Team Weblog, Microsoft Docs , 2010-03-25, retrieved 2022-01-01
  14. ↑ "The Internet Explorer 8 User-Agent String (Updated Edition)", IEBlog, Microsoft Docs , 2009-01-09, retrieved 2022-01-01
  15. 1 2 "CSS Compatibility and Internet Explorer". Microsoft Docs . 2011-03-09. Retrieved 2022-01-01.
  16. ↑ "The IE10 User-Agent String", IEBlog, Microsoft Docs , 2011-04-15, retrieved 2022-01-01
  17. ↑ Lipskas, Vygantas (2012-06-20), "Windows Phone 8: Internet Explorer 10 Detailed", FavBrowser.com, retrieved 2022-01-01
  18. ↑ Tudor, Ana (2018-06-01), "The State of Changing Gradients with CSS Transitions and Animations", blog, Pelbox Solutions, retrieved 2022-01-01
  19. ↑ Anthony, Sebastian (2013-06-26), "Windows 8.1 and Internet Explorer 11 will support WebGL, SPDY, but no WebRTC", Computing, ExtremeTech , Ziff Davis , retrieved 2022-01-01
  20. ↑ "Internet Explorer 11 for Windows 7 launched: Brings improved rendering, speed", Internet News, Gadgets 360, NDTV, 2013-11-08, retrieved 2022-01-01
  21. ↑ "How to Add or Remove Windows Desktop Update". Microsoft Support. KB165695. Archived from the original on 2016-03-20.
  22. ↑ "Add/Remove Programs tool displays installed programs incorrectly". Troubleshoot. Microsoft Docs . 23 September 2021. KB266668. Retrieved 2022-01-01.
  23. ↑ ""Internet Explorer Script Error" error message when you click User Accounts in Control Panel many times in quick succession on a Windows XP-based computer". Microsoft Support. KB886617. Archived from the original on 2016-03-19.
  24. ↑ "Chromium Embedded Framework". developer.valvesoftware.com. Last edited on 25 June 2012. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
  25. ↑ Shah, Anup (2007-12-14). "Microsoft's Internet Explorer Slows Down Web Development". onenaught.com. Retrieved 2022-01-01.
  26. ↑ Mauceri, Rob (2007-04-11). "Office Live and SharePoint". Microsoft SharePoint Designer Team Blog. Microsoft Docs . Retrieved 2022-01-01. SharePoint Designer doesn't use Trident. SharePoint Designer, Expression Web, and the next version of Visual Studio's Visual Web Designer (code name Orcas) all use the same standards-based web design component. This component was developed jointly by the three product teams for high fidelity rendering of web standards like CSS, XHTML, as well as ASP.net.
  27. ↑ "Living on the Edge – our next step in helping the web just work". IEBlog. Microsoft Docs . 2014-11-11. Retrieved 2022-01-01.
  28. ↑ "Project Spartan and the Windows 10 January Preview Build". IEBlog. Microsoft Docs . 2015-01-22. Retrieved 2022-01-01.
  29. ↑ "Microsoft 365 apps and services to end support for IE 11; End of support coming to the legacy version of Microsoft Edge". Microsoft Lifecycle Policy. Microsoft Docs . Retrieved 2022-01-01.
  30. ↑ "Download the new Microsoft Edge based on Chromium", Microsoft Support, KB4501095, retrieved 2022-01-01, The new Microsoft Edge is based on Chromium and was released on January 15, 2020
  31. ↑ Belfiore, Joe (2020-01-15), "New year, new browser – The new Microsoft Edge is out of preview and now available for download", Windows Blog, retrieved 2022-01-01
  32. ↑ Warren, Tom (2020-01-15). "Microsoft's new Edge Chromium browser launches on Windows and macOS". The Verge . Retrieved 2022-01-01.
  33. ↑ Hollister, Sean (2020-07-02). "With Edge, Microsoft's forced Windows updates just sank to a new low". The Verge . Retrieved 2022-01-01.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.