Internet Explorer 7.0

New Features in Internet Explorer 7.0

• New Interface: The streamlined interface lets you see more of the webpages you visit. Often used features such as search and the Favorites Center are now right on the toolbar for easy access.
• Tabbed Browsing: Rather than opening multiple windows when the user is viewing multiple pages, now all pages are displayed in a single window with tabs to allow easy access among them. This feature has been available in competing browsers for quite some time and is long overdue in IE.
• Searching: With a search box on the toolbar, searching the web is easier than ever. Type in your search phrase and a new tab opens up with the search results. You can customize the search box to use whatever search engine you want.
• RSS Feeds: In the past, visiting many sites and blogs to see if they have updated since your last visit could be tedious. Many sites have an RSS feed to allow software to summarize headlines from many sites so you can see if there is information that interests you. Internet Explorer 7.0 integrates an RSS reader right into the toolbar and will display site headlines in the Favorites Center.
• Security: Phishing is the practice of attempting to get confidential information from a person by pretending to be from a site such as a bank or credit card company. IE 7 includes a Phishing Filter which looks for irregularities in a site's SSL certificate, a layer of encryption that allows you to enter information such as your credit card number without worrying about anyone but the merchant seeing it. It warns you if a site looks suspicious. IE 7 also includes features to keep spyware and other malware from installing itself on your computer without your knowledge.

What's the Verdict?

Internet Explorer 7.0 is not a revolutionary change in web browsing technology. Microsoft borrowed ideas from competing products, such as Google Toolbar and Firefox, which has created controversy, but Microsoft is no stranger to controversy. Microsoft is not an innovator in the web browser field.

IE 7 does appear to be an evolutionary improvement. It solidifies the product into a version that is more stable and reliable. IE 6 was a patchwork of frantic fixes to address a growing number of security and stability issues, until it resembled a ship that was all patches and no hull. A complete redesign from the ground up was long overdue for this software, and IE 7 looks to be a solid product.

Microsoft continues to shore up their poor security image. IE 6 was notable for popping up many dire warnings about perceived security risks, and more warnings have been introduced in IE 7. Many people find these constant false alarms instrusive and irritating, but Microsoft chose to err on the side of caution, which is not a bad decision in this era of uninformed computer users.

Will Internet Explorer 7.0 have a host of security flaws like its predecessor? It will almost certainly have a few, but only time will tell if it will have as many. Since IE is the browser used by the vast majority of the browsing population, it has always been a popular target for malicious activity. Ultimately, IE 7 will only be as secure as the user makes it. A user should regularly check Microsoft for updates and download critical security fixes as soon as they become available.

IE 7 continues Microsoft's pattern of substantially increased system requirements. IE 6 required a 66-MHz processor and as little as 16 MB of memory. IE 7 requires a 233 MHz processor and 87 MB of memory. The increased sytem requirements are mostly due to graphical bells and whistles rather than the browser functionality. As with all system requirements, these requirements allow the software to run, not to run well. Faster processors and more memory are required for IE 7 to run at a reasonable speed.

Internet Explorer 7.0 is available only to users running Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, and the new Windows Vista. If you are still running older versions of Windows, you will have to stay with IE 6.