Internet Explorer 7 to be released

[Egaladeist]

You're kidding me right...are you honestly telling me that Microsoft is only doing this out of the goodness of their heart because they want to improve the security experience of their clients ?

And it's not about money ?

They already admitted that they are losing ( as in people are not upgrading in the abundance they expected ) money on upgrades and that is the reason they are forcing the upgrades.

You may be very well right about the kernels...but are you telling me that there is no way that Microsoft could've came out with a version of IE 7 applicable to any of their other systems...it just wasn't possible...completely out of the question...they tried...tried everything to make a secure browser for all their clients...and they just couldn't do it...everyone is just going to have to upgrade...geeee...that's what we wanted all along ?

It's all about money ! It's always about the money !

[a morning chill]

but are you telling me that there is no way that Microsoft could've came out with a version of IE 7 applicable to any of their other systems...it just wasn't possible...completely out of the question ?

That is exactally what I am saying. IE7 is going to include a number of system calls that signal the buffer checking from SP2/longhorn. to preform kernel level buffer checks, mem security handling, and so forth, it needs the SP2/longhorn core that win2k and lower will never ever ver be able to get without a complete software rewrite (XP?).

this isn't just another update to IE7. This is a recoding from the ground up of their IE software, with prevention methods for buffer overflows, activeX browser stealing, advanced pop-up detection, minor virus protection by protecting the IE7 system files and drivers. Something only the XP/longhorn core can do.

This is a LARGE step for IE, if you've read the dev blogs and current documentation of it. Not a simple "redo it for money", but a complete recoding for browser improvement. something... that no matter how you put it, the 2k and lower kernels could never handle.

[Egaladeist]

Well...I will defer to your better judgment then on these matters...if you say it was completely impossible for them to make a secure browser for anyone but their XP SP2 customers I stand corrected...

it's still about the money !

Eg

[AxessTerminated]

I use IE6. I use Windows Automatic Updates as well. I know what sites to go to, what sites not to go to. I know which links to use, and which not to use. I disable usability features I don't need, and take advantage of SP2's security enhancements. I use the Google Toolbar to block popups, and Ad-Aware to remove spyware that actually gets through this.

There is nothing wrong with IE that is not found in other browsers. The only difference is, Firefox has only that 5% market share...so no one uses it, and the ones that do are savvy enough to know about the updates. When it comes to MS, everyone uses it...even the dolts of our community, and they don't know how to use it correctly. I have NEVER had a problem with IE, and I prefer it over MyIE2, Opera, Konqueror, and Firefox. I would go for Firefox if it supported all HTML and scripting languages correctly....being opensource, the bugs are fixed easily..but patches are needed too often for simple usability features compared to MS release of critical flaws.

So, I stand by IE...knowing I have the competence to use it. IE7 is something I look forward too, just as Windows Longhorn is.

A_T

[Kite]

the whole point of firefox is that you dont need much competence to use it properly. any moron can use it safely and securely without needing to know where to upgrade and what not to use. this whole release is just an attempt by microsoft to take back that 5% demographic and crush firefox before it can actually compete.

[Timmy77]

I disagree. I use firefox, and I use it because the features are better.

I don't think the browser is more secure, it's just more seldomly targeted by attackers. There have been several security flaws in firefox.

[a morning chill]

any moron can use it safely and securely without needing to know where to upgrade and what not to use. this whole release is just an attempt by microsoft to take back that 5% demographic and crush firefox before it can actually compete.

Who cares if it is? If IE7 ends up being very secure, with tabbed browsing, pop-up blocking, activeX filtering, and an improved core-base, then who cares if you use firefox or IE7? A browser is a browser is a browser is a browser. If IE7 ends up being as secure and functional as firefox, then there is no reason to continue converting people under the basis of "it's more secure" "it has tabbed browsing" "it blocks malicious activex scripts" since IE7 could do it.

Fore firefox fanboi's, that's fine. But we can't fool ourselves into thinking MSes products are always going to be horrible just to keep that "elitism"

[Vorlin]

I would prefer not to use IE anything simply because it's so tied into the system by design. In itself, that's not a problem, but when you consider the backwards-compatibility over time, bad coding, patches that break other things, etc...it led to a very bad browser that serves more as a utility to interface to the OS rather than an internet browser.

And to come out with all the features that everyone else has already come out with years prior? Nah, FF 4 teh win!

[Kite]

i used IE for about 5 years, and the main reason i switched over because i was tired of IE. every time i downloaded the new version, it was always the same layout. it got so boring that i stoped upgrading it untill i HAD to upgrade or be shunned from the net. my family still uses IE and im not about to share Firefox with them, cause they would screw it up just like they did to my poor box.

[a morning chill]

In itself, that's not a problem, but when you consider the backwards-compatibility over time, bad coding, patches that break other things, etc...it led to a very bad browser that serves more as a utility to interface to the OS rather than an internet browser.

As I said earlier in this thread, IE 6 SP2 and below are all based on the exact same beta-code that was released in IE4. That is why the browser was never top quality, and won't be until IE7. They have not yet had a chance to rewrite it until now. And the whole "tying" into the operating system is a load of crap, and far too overused. Certain Dll's that iexplore.exe and explorer.exe use are the same ones, but that's it. That's IT. You can completely remove IE if you wanted to, and there are plenty of programs on the net that will do it for you. Why? Because the two processes are completely different, their system calls are completely different, and they only share common dll's (like most programs on any OS do).

And to come out with all the features that everyone else has already come out with years prior? Nah, FF 4 teh

Like how firefox got all it's features from mozilla? Who got the majorit of their ideas during their opera/mozilla teamwork? Which opera got from blah blah blah blah blah. Ideas will always be used over and over again. Why? Because if a good idea works, then you use it. End of story.

i used IE for about 5 years, and the main reason i switched over because i was tired of IE.

So why not customize it? Why not configure the toolbar? Why not add plugins and features? If you switched over because you got tired of looking at the same thing over and over, then that's going to happen to you with ever other browser you end up using.