Posted on 10/18/2006 9:32:00 PM PDT by Eagle9
Microsoft on Wednesday launched the first major update to Internet Explorer in five years, and posted the new browser for Windows XP to a download site.
IE 7, which has was announced in February 2005 by chairman Bill Gates, has been touted by the company as a significant update in the areas of security and usability. The interface has been streamlined and tabs have been added to compete with rivals such as Mozilla's Firefox and Opera's flagship browser. On the security front, IE 7 adds anti-phishing defenses as well as additional features to control ActiveX controls, which historically have been a pain point for Microsoft's browser.
IE 7 for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 can be downloaded from here.
"It's here, it's final, and we're excited," said Margaret Cobb, the group product manager for the browser.
The most controversial aspect of IE 7 has been Microsoft's decision to push the update to all users who have Automatic Updates enabled. Although users can reject IE 7 -- and continue using their current edition of Internet Explorer -- Microsoft will begin rolling out the browser as a "High priority" update next month. In July, when Microsoft offered up a toolkit to indefinitely postpone IE 7's installation, it justified using Automatic Updates, a mechanism for providing patches to Windows, because of the new browser's security implications.
"We've told enterprise customers to be ready [for IE 7] by Nov. 1," said Cobb. "It won't begin Nov. 1, but they should be ready."
The IE 7 update will also not add to the burden of Microsoft's monthly security patch delivery, scheduled for Nov. 14, promised Cobb. "We won't do it on Patch Tuesday."
Microsoft will also throttle back IE 7's delivery to keep the server load under control, she added. "We're starting with English, and then moving to the localized versions as they come available. At first we'll run it very slow, to a low percentage of users." After assessing the impact, Microsoft will increase the amount of traffic from the servers. "I'll have a 10 a.m. call every day to go over the impact on support or services," said Cobb, who can then order downloads to be scaled back or increased.
It will take as long as three months to deliver IE 7 to all users worldwide. "As each localized language comes online, we'll wait a few weeks after posting it for download before delivering it through Automatic Updates."
Microsoft has made one change late in the game. After IE 7 has installed, it will tell the user which search engine is the current default -- grabbed from IE 5 or IE 6 -- and then ask if they want to make a new choice. The process is similar to, but not identical, to the choice that Windows Vista users will face when they upgrade from Windows XP.
"We added this after RC3," said Cobb. "We're letting users know what engine is the default, and asking them if they want to keep it or do they want to switch. We're also going to be supporting IE 7."
Beginning Thursday, Microsoft will open a free, toll-free support line for IE 7. The help desk will be manned Monday through Friday 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. PDT, and on weekends from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. PDT.
Internet Explorer's chief rival, Mozilla Corp.'s Firefox browser, is nearing the final release of version 2.0. Currently on Release Candidate 3 (RC3), Firefox 2.0 should make it out the door before the end of the month.
Users who want to block the download and installation of IE 7 through Automatic Updates, as well as the Windows Update and Microsoft Update sites should steer here, where they can retrieve the Internet Explorer 7 Blocker Toolkit.
I hope it is more secure than IE6. It's pretty and works well on Vista -- although the beta release has crashed on several occasions -- but I'm sticking with Firefox.
Even if you install IE7, I wouldn't use it on non-trusted sites for some time. There are going to be armies of hackers pounding on IE7 looking for exploits. Things like ActiveX are never going to be particularly secure. Any time you can download and run code from a website, there is a security risk.
umm i think thats why its called beta... i could be wrong but... well uhh there ya have it.
Still getting used to it... But I hate the location of "Open in New Tab" on the popup menu - I'm constantly opening pages in a tab when I want to open them in new windows instead (I have the same problem with Firefox)...
Wal-Mart is only hated mostly by the liberals, MS seems to be hated by EVERYONE! LOL
Tis the reason why they are called Beta
I also, have some complaints about the IE7 style it takes little bit of "getting used to" after usinf fireFox for so long.
I'm not sure what kind of skins and such IE7 can use or if they can relocate buttons and such you have any idea on this?
Yeah, but most of it is fluff, I personally hate Apple products, far too proprietary for my taste.
Haven't figured that stuff out yet... Old dog, new tricks, and all that...
Even the last one, renamed the final, has such problems.
Is there a security fix for IE 7 yet?
well.. i'd but the OS if they would allow me to run it on my PC... but im not going to buy their garbage hardware just to have the OS. forget that, I'd rather have my choice of hardware and just dual boot win-linux
It breaks some online apps. This should be fun.
what "problems" and what kind of machine do you have? PII 450MHZ?
Read post 34.
My machine is fine. It's their browser that isn't.
Forcing people to take an unstable program is wrong. This is not a security patch. It is an optional program.
who is being forced to take it?
Have you tried using the fish:// protocol with Konqueror? It freaking rocks. I'm primarily a FF user, but Konq in midnight commander mode rocks for secure file transfers.
I get the patches, er, updates, from MS. WTF should have I
have to go through downloading their verification program,
again, to download something to block something I don't want?
I'm not the only one with problems with their .NET Framework
crap updates, either. And the only reason I have .NET is
because of ATI.
NVIDIA, next time, for me.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.