Question: The Microsoft Java Virtual Machine was first made available for a web browser released in what year?

Context paragraphs:
SableVM: SableVM was a clean room implementation of Java bytecode interpreter implementing the Java virtual machine (VM) specification, second edition.  SableVM was designed to be a robust, extremely portable, efficient, and fully specifications-compliant (JVM spec, Java Native Interface, Invocation interface, Debug interface, etc.) Java Virtual Machine that would be easy to maintain and to extend.  It is now no longer being maintained.

Java Web Start: In computing, Java Web Start (also known as JavaWS, javaws or JAWS) is a framework developed by Sun Microsystems (now Oracle) that allows users to start application software for the Java Platform directly from the Internet using a web browser.  Some key benefits of this technology include seamless version updating for globally distributed applications and greater control of memory allocation to the Java virtual machine.

Open Java Interface: Open JVM Integration, sometimes also referred to as Open Java Interface, is a standard that describes the interaction between a web browser and a Java Virtual Machine running embedded into that browser.  OJI is currently being phased out and replaced with more modern technologies.

Jinitiator: Jinitiator is a Java virtual machine (JVM) made and distributed by Oracle Corporation.  It allows a web enabled Oracle Forms client application to be run inside a web browser.  This JVM is called only when a web-based Oracle application is accessed.  This behavior is implemented by a plugin or an activex control, depending on the browser.

NSIcom CrE-ME: CrE-ME is a Java Virtual Machine for Windows CE Devices.  It provides an implementation of the CDC/Personal Profile Java standard, and is especially geared towards Windows Mobile.  The product is based on Sun MicroSystems reference implementations as well as NSIcom-proprietary technology termed JSCP.  CrE-ME is reported to be the fastest Java Virtual Machine out on Windows Mobile devices with moderate system requirements.  It supports Java applets in Internet Explorer Mobile.

Maxine Virtual Machine: The Maxine Virtual Machine is an open source virtual machine that is developed at the University of Manchester.  It was previously developed by Oracle Labs (formerly Sun Microsystems Laboratories).  The emphasis in Maxine's architecture is on modular design and code reuse in the name of flexibility, configurability, and productivity for industrial and academic virtual machine researchers.  It is one of a growing number of Java Virtual Machines written entirely in Java in a meta-circular style (for example, Squawk and Jikes RVM).

Internet Explorer 3: Microsoft Internet Explorer 3 (IE3) is an unsupported graphical web browser released on August 13, 1996 by Microsoft for Microsoft Windows and on January 8, 1997 for Apple Mac OS (see IE for Mac).  It began serious competition against Netscape Navigator in the first Browser war.  It was Microsoft's first browser release with a major internal development component.  It was the first more widely used version of Internet Explorer, although it did not surpass Netscape or become the browser with the most market share.  During its tenure, IE market share went from roughly 3–9% in early 1996 to 20–30% by the end of 1997.  In September 1997 it was superseded by Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.

Microsoft Java Virtual Machine: The Microsoft Java Virtual Machine (MSJVM) is a discontinued proprietary Java virtual machine from Microsoft.  It was first made available for Internet Explorer 3 so that users could run Java applets when browsing on the World Wide Web.  It was the fastest Windows-based implementation of a Java virtual machine for the first two years after its release.  Sun Microsystems, the creator of Java, sued Microsoft in October 1997 for incompletely implementing the Java 1.1 standard.  It was also named in the "United States v. Microsoft Corp" antitrust civil actions, as an implementation of Microsoft's "Embrace, extend and extinguish" strategy.  In 2001, Microsoft settled the lawsuit with Sun and discontinued its Java implementation.

Java applet: A Java applet is a small application which is written in Java or another programming language that compiles to Java bytecode and delivered to users in the form of that bytecode.  The user launches the Java applet from a web page, and the applet is then executed within a Java Virtual Machine (JVM) in a process separate from the web browser itself.  A Java applet can appear in a frame of the web page, a new application window, Sun's AppletViewer, or a stand-alone tool for testing applets.  Java applets were introduced in the first version of the Java language, which was released in 1995.

JamVM: JamVM is an open source Java Virtual Machine (JVM) developed to be extremely small compared with other virtual machines (VMs) while conforming to the Java virtual machine specification version 2 (blue book).

Supporting paragraphs: Microsoft Java Virtual Machine Internet Explorer 3
Answer: 1996