February 09, 2006
Review: Microsoft
Internet Explorer 7, Firefox, And Other Browsers In Four-Way
Shootout IE7: Killer
Features
| By Ed Bott, Scot Finnie,
Dennis Fowler, and Ron White |
Courtesy of InternetWeek |
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Page 6 of 18
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Killer
Features
If Internet Explorer 7 has a killer feature, this
is it. The built-in set of feed-reading tools comes closer than
any other Windows browser to offering a full-featured feed reader
without being overwhelming. It's a vast improvement over the Live
Bookmarks feature in Firefox, which shows only the title of each
item; you have to click through to the bookmarked site to get any
meaningful content. And don't worry about compatibility with other
feed readers: IE7 includes the capability to share feeds by
importing and exporting feed lists in industry-standard OPML
format.
The most surprising news is that IE7's feed-reading
capabilities aren't just limited to the browser window. Instead,
they're part of a larger platform for dealing with RSS-formatted
data. That means other applications can tap into the management
tools and extend the reach of feeds you've subscribed to. A
Web-based group calendar, for example, might use RSS to share
meeting requests and updates, and a program like Microsoft Outlook
could tap that same flow of data to keep your calendar up to date
on multiple PCs, PDAs, and smart phones.
Keeping It Simple
There's no doubt that Microsoft's
developers are playing catch-up on some key browsing features that
others did long ago, and they also have a long way to go to erase
the perception that Internet Explorer is inherently insecure. But
the closer you look at Internet Explorer 7, the more you realize
it's not just a copycat.
The overwhelming majority of Windows users still use Internet
Explorer. When IE7 is finished later this year, that will still be
true. The difference? They just might like it.
Page 7:
Firefox 1.5
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