New Version of Internet Explorer to Block Pop-Ups by Default

Microsoft Corp. is the latest software concern taking aim at one of the great banes of online life -- those annoying ads for diet plans, credit cards and low mortgage rates that suddenly appear on your computer screen while you are perusing your favorite Web page, forcing you to click on them to turn them off. The software giant is incorporating a new feature in its Internet Explorer browser that will automatically block the pop-up.