Having Internet Explorer piggyback on Windows 95 was therefore a powerful strategic move. The Internet was still very young, and plenty of users would encounter it for the first time via Windows 95. The first versions of Internet Explorer were not very well reviewed, and compared poorly to Netscape Navigator when it came to features and performance. But Internet Explorer was right there automatically on every Windows machine. To get a copy of Navigator, conversely, you had to search it out and download and install it yourself—not an easy feat for Internet newbies.
