I downloaded a beta copy of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 7 (IE7) several days ago and am starting to form some opinions. This is Microsoft’s first major revision to the browser since 2002. During that time, Firefox has emerged as the browser of choice for many techies and purists: it’s known to be faster, more secure, and more reliable. I have stayed with IE as my day-to-day browser, though, because the majority of users/consumers still use it. Given that we do Web design for the masses, I want to look at our work through this lens to be sure we’re not simply designing for the leading edge.
As many reviews have already stated, most of the changes to this new version of IE seem to be an emulation of Firefox. Microsoft is known for emulating the positive traits of would-be competitors in order to satisfy the user base and hang on to market share. Just ask Steve Jobs.
The browser contains many useful features that I have lived without until now. The biggest ‘wow’ factor is the tabbed browsing, which enables you to switch back and forth between Web pages without toggling between various windows. This is a pretty cool feature (I’m probably making Firefox users laugh right now).
Strategically, the biggest change is the inclusion of RSS feeds and subscriptions within the browser. RSS still has a long way to go, but I’ve said for some time that this move by Microsoft will likely be huge for RSS as a whole. If RSS doesn’t catch on with IE7’s release, I’m not sure it ever will. I still get blank stares when I talk to people about RSS (what it does, and how it works). That’s simply a sign to me that it hasn’t been promoted outside the techy community. The RSS interface itself is pretty cool…you just click on a star in the toolbar and it shows you your feed subscriptions. Seems to update more reliably than Bloglines does. Don’t know that I can check my feeds from a remote computer, though.
IE7 also offers a pretty cool ‘Zoom’ feature that allows you to zoom in and out of Web pages (and scroll) the same way we all do on Mapquest and Google Maps. Not sure how often I will use this feature, but it certainly is noticeable.
Speaking of interface, the toolbars and status bars seem to be much smaller and more compact. Say goodbye to the clunky buttons that have haunted IE for years.
As far as things that I haven’t really noticed (yet have read exist) is the improved security. The application is supposed to be more secure and to have some built-in anti-phishing features to guard against scams. I have noticed that I can easily erase my browsing history, something that is cumbersome in other versions of IE.
I’ve run into a few bugs, as is expected with a Beta launch. I’ve had some printing difficulties and some RSS feeds don’t seem to get detected by the browser. All and all, a pretty nice upgrade for the money (free)!