Internet Explorer 7 :: First Impressions

I recently downloaded and tried out the BETA version of Internet Explorer 7 (Build 5112). Coming to what I noticed with it, well, it seems a bit refreshing, since Internet Explorer has had only security updates for the last four years, but will it be enough to recover people’s lost trust in IE ?

New Looks! :: Internet Explorer 7 sports minor changes in comparison to the look of Internet Explorer 6. For example, the address bar in IE7 has gone right to the top by default, standard in all Windows Vista applications. Look at the picture below for other changes.

Tabbed Browsing :: For the first time in it’s history, Internet Explorer features support for tabbed browsing, a feature that allows multiple pages to be opened in a single windows using small tabs. Tabs have been around for a long time in other browsers like Opera, and they we’re available in IE through third-party extensions, and more recently, through the MSN Toolbar.

RSS :: RSS feeds can now be read in IE, or stored as live bookmarks.

Phishing Filter :: Internet Explorer now features and inbuilt phishing filter which is also available through third party software such as Spoofstick. Altough I haven’t put it through stringent testing yet, it was able to pick up spoofed versions of eBay and Paypal.

Popup Blocker :: Internet Explorer 6 SP2 had a Popup blocker, but the one in Internet Explorer 7 gives more options, such as more manual control, and exclusions.

“Delete Browsing History” :: This is a simple feature that allows you to delete history, cache, saved passwords, and other private content, all at once.

“Add On” Management :: Similar to extensions in Firefox, Microsoft has added an “Add On” management console, for easier management of Add-Ons.

Windows Genuine Advantage :: Internet Explorer 7 is a part of the Windows Genuine Advantage 1.0 program, which hackers have already breached (more on that later), so you will need to validate your copy of Windows online before it can be installed.

Breaks Multi IM’s :: A plugin component installer by IE7 for the MSN mennenger crashes multi-network messengers like Trillian and GAIM, who are not willing to provide solutions since IE7 is still a BETA. So, the only solution is to revert to IE6.

XP Only :: Internet Explorer 7 only supports Windows XP and above, so users on Windows 2000 and earlier will be left with IE6 (plus security updates). This is a great opportunity for alternative browsers like Firefox to fill up the void Microsoft has created by not supporting older versions of it’s Operating System, which is still used by many people today. Developers think that porting IE7 to WIndows 2000 will not be very difficult, but porting it to earlier versions like Windows 98 is near impossible.

All in all, IE7 does have several new promising features lined up, but it’s still in an early BETA stage, so predicting something is hard. The core components, however, are not very different from IE6.