Subject: Internet Explorer 7.0

On October 19 Microsoft released Internet Explorer 7, the long anticipated successor to its aging and wobbly Internet Explorer 6. With this month's ELM Bulletin we tell you why we recommend installing this significant update.

A Brief History of (the) Time(s): First released on August 27, 2001, Internet Explorer 6 (IE6) was Microsoft's final, significant shot in its browser war with Netscape. Since that time IE6 has seen the release of two service packs and numerous security patches for various, often critical, vulnerabilities. Netscape, and other organizations, continued to develop their browsers while Microsoft devoted its resources to other projects and allowed IE6 to languish on the sidelines.

In 2004 the Mozilla Foundation released Firefox. With tabbed browsing, improved security and numerous user-friendly features many regard the release of Firefox as the opening shot in the current browser war. Whether or not this is true the new features that Firefox, Netscape and Opera brought to Internet browsing made IE6 look decidedly ancient.

Welcome, Brave New World: With its release in mid-October, Internet Explorer 7 (IE7) is Microsoft's answer to criticism over the failings in IE6 and its lack of an advanced, user-friendly environment. IE7 introduces tabbed browsing, support for add-ons, enhanced printing and, most importantly, improved security. When used in the (hopefully soon-to-be-released) Vista operating system, with which IE7 will be included, IE7 will be even more secure. But for users of Windows XP is IE7 worth the upgrade and what differences will you notice?

It's A Different World: I have been using IE7 since its release and can honestly say that I am very impressed. It appears to be faster and many security issues have been dealt with. Perhaps my biggest complaint lies in the fact that the toolbar area of IE7 is completely different from what I was used to with IE6. Things change and we adjust but after two weeks I find that I still look for buttons in their old IE6 location. I do not feel this to be a fault of IE7's design and is more likely due to my lack of experience with the browser.

Given that I do most of my work on the Internet ease of use is a very high concern. I have played around with both Firefox and Opera and prefer Opera's interface over that of Firefox. To my mind IE7 improves on Opera's interface without adding too much clutter, which I despise, or sacrifice of speed, which is intolerable.

In short, here is a listing of the primary improvements in IE7:

    1 - Support for Tabbed Browsing - While I currently to not make use of tabbed browsing (the ability to open multiple web-sites in a single browser session) there are occasions where it is convenient. Of significant advantage is the ability of tabbed browsing to greatly reduce screen clutter. Various configuration options allow the user to modify the action of the tabs or even turn them off completely. Browsing sessions can also be saved and re-opened when IE7 is re-started.

    2 - Improved Printing - Anyone who has used IE6 to print a web page can recall the pain. IE6 had an almost universal inability to print a page properly and frequently cut off entire sections of the web page leaving you with half sentences and chopped graphics. Happily IE7 addresses this issue and improves upon it by forcing the web page to fit the paper to which it will be printed. So far it has worked as advertised.

    3 - Better Protection Against Phishing - Phishing scams (where under false pretenses a user is induced to enter personal information at a presumably legitimate website) are an increasing hazard on the Internet. Phony sites look so much like the legitimate sites they pretend to be that the average Internet user, and many experts, have a difficult time discerning fact from fiction. Online banking and retail sites are especially susceptible to Phishing Scams. IE7 includes some sophisticated tools that permit the Internet user to more easily determine the legitimacy of a given site and to act accordingly. When a suspected site is encountered a warning dialogue appears and, if you continue on to the site in question, the IE7 address bar is coloured red, as are other regions of the browser.

    4 - It's More Secure - One of the major loopholes in IE6 was ActiveX. ActiveX is a functionality used by IE6 to permit interactive content. It was also used by hackers around the world to access systems without the knowledge of the user. ActiveX security is greatly improved in IE7, much of what was present in IE6 but which was not used has been removed. The ActiveX components remaining in IE7 are turned off by default; the user is prompted to turn on a specific control only when browsing a web site that requires it.

Would I recommend IE7? Yes. Although some web sites will not display properly in the new browser these will be in the minority and the added security afforded by IE7 is well worth this small price. The upgrade from IE6 is easy and almost all of your settings will transfer to the new environment. IE7 will be available as a part of Microsoft Update but automatic installation can be prevented if you wish to continue to use IE6.

I strongly recommend that you create a system restore point or a good backup before installing IE7 as it does make significant changes to your system.

Overall, after two weeks of almost constant use, I am very pleased with what Microsoft has done with IE7. I look forward to further developments.

As always, please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions about this or any other issue.

With apologies to Stephen Hawking, Aldous Huxley and NBC.