wow factor

Internet Explorer 7 released

The final, full bottle IE7 is available for upgrade or download.

I thought this update was to be delivered via Windows Updates but it wasn't available. I went through the daunting .exe download and after some error messages and two restarts, here we are.

Review: IE 7 doesn't leapfrog the competition

"The bottom line: IE 7 was Microsoft's one chance to leapfrog ahead of the competition, but the company has only barely caught sight of the current front-runners. For more features and greater security, switch to Mozilla Firefox."

What's new IE 7 Beta 3?

The developers sound pleased with their tweaks and graphical touch ups. They are still calling for feedback yet their words have that ring of finality.
Some early observations.

Installation can be a bitch

I followed the instructions to the letter only to be greeted with an ERROR..can't install.. message and being left with IE6. I resolved this by winding back WindowsXP 24 hours and starting again! I know, it is Beta but I do this nightly with Firefox 2.0a3 and Opera 9 weekly with ease. Good luck with your installation.

It's fast, leaving Firefox test builds eating it's dust. It even feels faster than Opera 9.

The UI remains inflexible with space wasted like there is no tomorrow. Until they match the layout flexibility of other browsers, this remains far from a user focused browser.

While they have Widgets, improved Web Feeds etc etc they don't have extensions.

Bookmarking and RSS management are the real standouts and I did mention how fast it is!