Internet Explorer 4.0 "on track" for a March beta

This is from the sad but true department: Brad Chase, VP of Microsoft'sApplication and Internet Client Group announced yesterday that thecompany is "on track" to deliver the first Internet Explorer 4.0 beta by March."On track"?There's something rotten in Redmond, and I believe it's affecting a fewpeople's memory cells. I went to a "Microsoft at the Movies" PDC event in July 1996 where we were supposed to receive the first beta for IE 4. Theproduct was demoed repeatedly during the live satellite broadcast, whichwas most definitely _not_ under any Non-disclosure agreement (NDA). Notsurprisingly, IE 4 was not among the CDs we received that day althoughyet another Microsoft product manager gleefully announced that we'dreceive them in the mail "within three weeks."Well, well. Needless to say, I have yet to see that beta copy of IE 4. Idon't mind that it's late (well, actually I do mind a little). What really bothers me is this constant insistence that it's not late. Ladiesand gentlemen, I have an announcement to make:Internet Explorer 4.0 is very, very late.An InfoWorld report about Internet Explorer 4.0 mentions that the finalversion of the product will be available in June. The delays stem fromthe inclusion of Dynamic HTML, which was originally to appear in InternetExplorer 5.0. Microsoft is planning to make IE 4 an interface choice forWindows 95 and NT.In an unrelated move, Microsoft will release the first beta of InternetExplorer 3.0 for the HP-UX and Solaris flavors of UNIX in February