Tip #2410 - Internet Explorer 7 Beta 2
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Internet
Explorer 7 Beta 2
Internet Explorer
7 is here. Well, at least the beta is and it’s pretty cool. I’ve
been playing around with this all morning. I've been checking out the
features and I would have to say that Microsoft is raising the bar in
the Internet browser wars. This is more than adding tabbed browsing to
IE, it has all kinds of new features and add-ons that I think everyone
will enjoy.
Out at the IE 7 download
page, Microsoft has actually put together some nice informative that you
can easily navigate through to find answers and resources. There is a
pre-install checklist, a support page with a set of FAQs for those who
may have questions and release notes detailing known issues between the
browser and other applications. You can also take a tour of IE 7 so you
know what to expect before opening up the new browser for the first time.
If you meet all the
criteria for using IE 7 and go through the extremely long download/installation
process, you’ll be presently surprised with the new look of IE.
First off, you’ll notice the sleek interface. Microsoft has really
put an emphasis on less obstruction from their browser. Amazingly enough,
the simpler interface hasn’t taken any functionality away from Microsoft’s
new browser. On the contrary, this browser is stuffed to the rafters with
great new features.
Favorite Center:
The Favorite Center
is what Microsoft is calling their new integrated favorites, which boasts
improved performance in accessing the users favorite sites and RSS feeds.
That’s right, now with IE, you can view RSS feeds directly from
you browser.
Tabbed Browsing:
Tabbed browsing has
been around for a while in beta as a download for IE 6, so it’s
really no surprise that Microsoft decided to instill this technology into
their new browser. After using the new tabbed browsing scheme that Microsoft
came up with, I can honestly say that it has some of the nicest features
I have seen in this area. You can save all the tabs you have open in the
browser as a tab group, label it and pull it back up anytime you need
to. Another cool feature that Microsoft added to its version of the tabbed
browsing experience is the Quick Tabs feature. This is
a button on the toolbar that, when activated, will bring up a thumbnail
view of all your current tabs, so you can easily get to the site you want.
Integrated
Search Bar:
Another great feature
Microsoft added to its Internet browser is a beefed up search bar capable
of searching many different search engines at once. You can get the most
out of your online searches by comparing the results of different search
engines and with IE 7, you can open up the search results in a new tab
to keep everything organized.
RSS Feeds:
RSS feeds, in case
you’re not familiar with the term, are a relatively new service
that has been gaining great popularity. With RSS
Feeds, you can monitor specific sites without having to actually go
out to the site. This is a great feature for news or anything that you
want to stay up-to-date on and find it difficult to go out and view everyday.
The RSS feed itself is usually a headline or brief summary of what the
Web site or blog has added or changed. With the IE 7 beta, you can view
you RSS feeds right through the interface of the browser. Why open another
program just to view your RSS feeds when you can view them right from
your browser? This feature is also incredibly easy to use. Simply go to
a Web site that offers an RSS feed sign up and click on the Add to Favorites
button. That’s it, you can now click on your favorites button, RSS
feeds and see a list of all the feeds you are subscribed for.
Security:
Along with all the
fun stuff, Microsoft has also implemented some security features into
their new browser to help protect users while online. In particular, the
browser has one new feature: the anti-phishing service. The anti-phishing
service on IE 7 can tell if a site is redirecting you to a site other
than the one it is posing as. This is the concept of phishing (spoof legitimate
Web sites) and IE 7 does a good job of warning users with a popup in the
address bar.
In addition to the
anti-phishing feature, IE 7 also monitors the browser to ensure that no
malicious programs install as a result of surfing the Web.
Add-Ons:
Believe it or not,
there are even some add-ons that you can download and install to increase
the functionality of IE 7. There’s not a lot of add-ons out there
right now and they are not all free like they are for Firefox, but IE
7 is still in beta, so we’ll see how that goes. You can view the
add-ons for download here.
I know you guys are
chopping at the bit to download this new browser, but I suggest you go
through the Microsoft
checklist before installing. You may also want to go through the online
tour of the program to get a good idea of what to expect before you install
it. There is also a set of Release
Notes that some of you may want to take a look at. They cover known
issues between the browser and some other programs and settings.
Other than that,
you may want to take a look at the system requirements and have fun.
Minimum Requirements:
| Computer/Processor
|
Computer
with a 486/66-MHz processor or higher (Pentium processor recommended) |
| Operating
System |
Windows XP Service
Pack 2 (SP2) |
| Memory |
For Internet
Explorer 7 Beta 2: Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2), Windows XP Professional
x64 Edition and for Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 (SP1): 32 MB
of RAM minimum. Full install size: 12 MB |
| Drive |
CD-ROM
drive (if installation is done from a CD-ROM) |
| Display |
Super
VGA (800 x 600) or higher resolution monitor with 256 colors |
| Peripherals |
Modem
or Internet connection, Microsoft Mouse, Microsoft IntelliMouse, or
compatible pointing device |
Also, check out the support
page for IE 7 and learn even more about it. And check
out the download page here.
~ Chad Stelnicki
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