IE7: Good Enough to Replace Firefox?

The wait is over. Internet Explorer 7 (IE7), an enhanced version of the Microsoft's popular browser system, is now available for download on the company's website.

Dean Hachamovitch, General Manager of Microsoft's Internet Explorer team, promises a new and improved browser. "We listened carefully to our customers, and are delivering a safer browser that makes the tasks they do everyday much easier." Internet Explorer 7 reduces exposure against both phishing and malicious software attacks; Microsoft has fortified the browser and is offering users more complete information and support with making informed decisions. (Source: techtree.com)

Internet Explorer 7 offers a new, improved browser to IE users. Microsoft seems to have done well with adapting Mozilla Firefox's popular features into a fresh Microsoft product. As businessman Price Pritchett said, "Change always comes bearing gifts." In this case, Microsoft certainly hopes that the release of IE7 will make their slice of the market share a little bit bigger.

Internet Explorer 7 also offers more features, such as tabbed browsing (which has also been an option for Mozilla Firefox for quite some time). Additionally, however, IE7 includes a new feature called "Quick Tabs" -- a useful function which provides a snapshot of all open tabs on a single screen. Other IE7 enhancements include improved printing capabilities and the availability of RSS feeds. (Source: news.com)

The addition of tabs reveals Microsoft's attempt to usurp Mozilla's Firefox, a browser which has been increasingly taking portions of market share from Microsoft. However, Microsoft has recently been digging in its heels, and currently maintains a strong 85.9% of the market, an increase of almost 3% from July. (Source: news.com)

As part of their quest market Internet Explorer 7, Microsoft has been encouraging Firefox users to download the browser. The company promises that IE7 will not become the default browser; further, it will not even ask the user if he/she wants to switch. Gary Schare, Microsoft's Director of IE Product Management assures that "there are advantages to having it there, even if you are not a daily user." (Source: news.com)

Currently, Internet Explorer 7 is available for Windows XP in English and runs on Windows XP Service Pack 2, Windows XP 64-bit Edition, and Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1. Microsoft assures that it will soon be made available in other Windows-supported languages. The company plans to push Internet Explorer 7 as a high priority update beginning in November. (Source: techtree.com)