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February 09, 2006
Review: Microsoft Internet Explorer 7, Firefox, And Other Browsers In Four-Way Shootout IE7 Beta 2 Preview For Windows XP
Page 2 of 18 IE7 Beta 2 Preview For Windows XP By Ed Bott
That was the ironic catch phrase that Listerine used in the 1970s to sell millions of bottles of mouthwash. It's also a perfect summary of the way many PC users feel about Internet Explorer, the browser that's built into every copy of Windows. When TechWeb asked me to make the case for Internet Explorer 7, I was prepared to use the Listerine defence. I was all ready to grit my teeth and declare that IE7 is not so bad, not so bad at all. And then a funny thing happened. The more I looked at IE7, the more I found to like. I've been working with IE7 in a series of unfinished and still somewhat raw beta releases for several months. The latest CTP (Community Technology Preview) pre-beta release of Windows Vista build 5270 and the just-released public preview of IE7 for XP are the first that offer a real glimpse of what IE7 is all about.
It's not perfect. For that matter, it's not even a beta yet – the latest version, which is the one I'm reviewing here, is officially called the Internet Explorer 7 Beta 2 Preview, and it runs only on Windows XP SP2. (The most recent test release of IE7 for Windows Vista uses a slightly older version of the IE7 code.) Still, even in these unpolished test releases, IE7 does some basic browsing functions better than any of its rivals, and it should continue to improve over the next few months. (And if you're nervous about replacing your current browser, it's worth noting that you can uninstall IE7 for Windows XP completely. That option won't be available in Windows Vista, where the new browser will be baked into the base OS.) The techno-elite may prefer to browse the Web in a package that doesn't include the Microsoft brand name, but they're the exception. According to data released this week by OneStat.com, Internet Explorer is still the overwhelming favourite browser for Windows, with somewhere between 80 and 90 percent of the population continuing to use it. And no wonder: It's convenient, it works with just about every site on the Web, and it doesn't require a lot of fussing. Despite well-publicized (and occasionally overhyped) security flaws and an aging interface, the overwhelming majority of Windows users continue to use Internet Explorer, even though some of them grumble about its flaws. Internet Explorer 7 is a substantial rewrite, the first top-to-bottom overhaul of Microsoft's flagship browser in nearly a decade. The fact that it isn't finished yet makes it difficult to present an ironclad case for upgrading. But what I've seen so far convinces me that the final product will be worth waiting for. |
