Internet Explorer 7

[deRame]

the final public version of IE 7 was released on 18th oct 2006. i have downloaded it and give it a try. well i must say it's quite good as being rumored before with tabbed browsing ( ...tiru firefox and opera) and phishing filter to verify a website whether it's fake or not (which i think quite important for those who regularly uses online banking). one thing that i find quite good is the loading of the website pages. it's quite fast on my laptop (even faster the opera). what do u guys think about IE 7? do anyone find bad things about IE 7?

[youngyew]

the final public version of IE 7 was released on 18th oct 2006. i have downloaded it and give it a try. well i must say it's quite good as being rumored before with tabbed browsing ( ...tiru firefox and opera) and phishing filter to verify a website whether it's fake or not (which i think quite important for those who regularly uses online banking). one thing that i find quite good is the loading of the website pages. it's quite fast on my laptop (even faster the opera). what do u guys think about IE 7? do anyone find bad things about IE 7?
Eerm, speaking from a long-time Firefox supporter's point of view here.... :)

I think generally IE7 is indeed a step forward for the Internet community as a whole. Last time when IE6 was infested with security issues, it was kinda disheartening to see a lot of people still browsing with dozens of IE windows, when there are so much convenience using tabs and other features provided by Firefox and Opera. I even developed this preconceived notion subconsciously,
"still use Internet Explorer in 2006" ==> "only know about myspace, youtube and friendster in the Internet"

No matter the bad words we had been saying about IE6, it's still a browser used by 80 - 90% of people today, so the upgrading is a great news for those who don't know about other browsers.

The following are my general comments about the newer version:
1. Installation: It's quite crap to have an installation which asks you to disable antivirus and firewall.. I know you don't really have to (I didn't), but it kinda doesn't inspire confidence in paranoid people. Furthermore, the worse thing is it takes forever to install... After a long installation, we are asked to restart the windows, and after the restart it's another long wait... I know the long installation time is due to its integration with system files, but in today's standard the waiting time is a bit unbearable.

2. Tab-browsing: Basic implementation there. Good for the whole world (as I elaborated earlier). However, lack the ability to fine tune the behaviour, compared to Opera's and Firefox's settings. The "quick tab" feature (Ctrl - Q) is undeniably a good work though.

3. Aesthetic aspects: I think the design is kinda clunky. It's awkward to have the forward and back at the top bar, even higher than the menu bar. It is not intuitive - a subpage is not of a higher hierarchy than the program's settings. Also, moving the "reload" and "stop" button to the right is a bit weird too... I know we can use F5 and escape for the same function, but a lot of people they will just find the button and realize it's not "at the right place". The worst thing is: there is no way you can change the default configuration, unlike Firefox and Opera.

4. New features: I must say kudos for a few unique features though, i.e. the RSS reader and the print preview margin setting. They are indeed great innovation. I have had no experience with the anti-phishing feature, but from what I gathered online, it's working very well. There are some tiru features like "delete private information" etc, which are alright.

5. Page-loading: I am not sure but from what I heard there are not much difference between all the major browsers. For many Opera may be the fastest (try the forward and back button when you are browsing, and you will know what I mean). Personally Firefox is slower in this regard (Opera > Firefox = IE), but see hua says for his computer and configuration, Firefox is faster than Opera. A page for reference here: http://www.howtocreate.co.uk/browserSpeed.html

6. Extensibility: I know there are "add-ons" in IE, but they aren't anywhere near as what Firefox (and to some extent, Opera) prides in. There are too few to choose from, and some of the essential features like ad-blocking, weather forecast, grease monkey etc are not available, and some extensions even cost money. :( Personally adblocking makes a lot of difference.

7. Technical issues: In terms of CSS and HTML issues, there were a lot of issues last time with IE6, which was what made all the webmasters in the world hate Microsoft... With this version, some of the issues are solved, but the IE team still fails to comply with the "standard", so it means there will still be headache for all the webmasters out there.

8. Smart Keyword search: It's not in IE, what a shame. Refer to my blog post (http://changyang1230.blogspot.com/2006/10/firefox-2-is-out.html) for the details.

To sum my comment, I think IE7 is a huge improvement over the last version. However, for the best browsing experience, I would still recommend Firefox and Opera. In the future, Microsoft is very likely to ignore the browser for another few years until they become very outdated. So sticking with a constantly updated browser is a better bet.

I have a personal review of Firefox 2 (http://changyang1230.blogspot.com/2006/10/firefox-2-is-out.html) in my blog, so if you are interested, check it out to see why I like it so much.

[clvn]

Give Safari a try instead. I love it.

[youngyew]

Give Safari a try instead. I love it.Unfortunately it's not in Windows :-(

[vseehua]

The interface is kinda awkward in IE7, but i think of it as being designed for new users, not for those who had been using the older standard layout. and so, a lot of us will scream bloody murder at it. I do miss some of the functions provided by the older interface, but i do think as well, from a new user's point of view, the layout is simple enough to navigate without having to resort to the help file.

I haven't done much test on this iteration of IE yet, since i also use firefox all the time, on both my Ubuntu 6.10 and Windows systems. (the linux system is to keep me from playing WoW all the time :p)

For my own system, most of the delays in web surfing comes from the loading times of the pages. While Opera maybe faster at handling all kinds of scripts and CSS layouts, the load times are generally not so far apart. I had tweaked certain settings with my firefox installtion to enhance the network performance, so that might make the difference here in the loading times. And coupled with the Adblock extension, the loading times can drop quite drastically.

back to IE, the installtion is a bummer... why ask us to even disable our antivirus and anispyware? But then, i didn't bother about it and just start the installer. It was smooth, but restarting twice to get it up and running? Maybe Microsoft had learnt it's lesson and didn't intergrate IE right into the core of Vista. With windows xp, guess that's how it is =) .

[kakumei]

I like IE7. It looks cool. Still trying around new stuffs. Anyhow, I'm still loyal to Firefox.

:D

[vseehua]

using opera mini if you have mobile devices that supports java midlets=)

[Butters]

Give Safari a try instead. I love it.Unfortunately it's not in Windows :-(

now Safari does Windows.....

[maxx]

Give Safari a try instead. I love it.Unfortunately it's not in Windows :-(

now Safari does Windows.....
yea... but i still love my lovely firefox... but with useful plugins... download video from youtube... browsing the net without damn advertisement... even can switch to my present IE under Firefox windows (when i meet with the site that can't support it... but seldom)

IMO.. Opera is the best internet browser.. but it is not supported by many popular sites.. (etc Gmail)

[Butters]

yea... but i still love my lovely firefox... but with useful plugins... download video from youtube... browsing the net without damn advertisement... even can switch to my present IE under Firefox windows (when i meet with the site that can't support it... but seldom)

IMO.. Opera is the best internet browser.. but it is not supported by many popular sites.. (etc Gmail)

i agree....i hate to say this but Firefox 2 is still better than Safari 3 and IE7. Safari is faster than Firefox and IE. But still, I think Firefox wins. Safari has long way to go.

[maxx]

yea... but i still love my lovely firefox... but with useful plugins... download video from youtube... browsing the net without damn advertisement... even can switch to my present IE under Firefox windows (when i meet with the site that can't support it... but seldom)

IMO.. Opera is the best internet browser.. but it is not supported by many popular sites.. (etc Gmail)

i agree....i hate to say this but Firefox 2 is still better than Safari 3 and IE7. Safari is faster than Firefox and IE. But still, I think Firefox wins. Safari has long way to go.

haha.. but right now Safari supports Windows... is it mean that it not more safe?? ('cuz it isn't on Mac OS anymore)..

[luke]

Apple cannot afford staying closed door anymore. 1st came quicktime for windows, then ipod windows support, then they started using intel chips, and this time safari for windows

[Butters]

Apple cannot afford staying closed door anymore. 1st came quicktime for windows, then ipod windows support, then they started using intel chips, and this time safari for windows

they made safari for windows so developers can create apps for the iPhone....

[luke]

Apple cannot afford staying closed door anymore. 1st came quicktime for windows, then ipod windows support, then they started using intel chips, and this time safari for windows

they made safari for windows so developers can create apps for the iPhone....
apps for iPhone requires safari?

[vseehua]

Apple cannot afford staying closed door anymore. 1st came quicktime for windows, then ipod windows support, then they started using intel chips, and this time safari for windows

they made safari for windows so developers can create apps for the iPhone....
apps for iPhone requires safari?For third party ones yes... The iPhone will be released without SDK, and the only way to get thrid party apps to it is through the Safari Browser

[Butters]

For third party ones yes... The iPhone will be released without SDK, and the only way to get thrid party apps to it is through the Safari Browser

you got that right