Omid Farhang
Table of Contents
Internet Explorer 6 has dominated Windows desktops for years — and for years, users have asked for tabbed browsing. Firefox and Opera shipped tabs long ago. Microsoft showed IE7 briefly in beta form last July, and the public Beta 2 Preview is expected within days.
If you maintain websites or support family PCs, this is the moment to pay attention.
What Microsoft Is Promising
Based on beta builds and public statements, IE7 is shaping up as a real course correction:
- Tabbed browsing — finally, without third-party add-ons
- Phishing filter — warnings for known scam sites
- RSS platform integration — feed discovery built into the browser
- Redesigned interface — search box, ClearType tuning, Quick Tabs overview
- Improved CSS support — not perfect, but closer to what Firefox renders
For offices standardized on IE, this could be the upgrade that does not require switching browsers entirely.
What It Probably Will Not Fix Overnight
IE7 still carries legacy baggage:
- Slow release cycle compared to Firefox’s rapid updates
- Developer tools remain weak — no built-in DOM inspector like Firefox’s Web Developer extensions
- Sites that target IE6 quirks will break in subtle ways on IE7
- Security patches will remain critical — a better UI does not mean safe-by-default
Expect a transition period where intranet apps written for IE6 behave oddly in IE7 until vendors patch them.
Requirements and Rollout
The Beta 2 Preview is expected to require Windows XP Service Pack 2. Vista builds already include IE7 in beta form. Automatic distribution to hundreds of millions of desktops will take months even after the final release — but site owners should not wait to test.
If you run a public website:
- Test in IE7 preview as soon as it is available
- Stop assuming everyone runs 1024×768 with IE6 only
- Check CSS layouts that relied on IE6’s broken box model hacks
- Treat phishing awareness as user education, not only a browser feature
The Competitive Picture in January 2006
Firefox 1.5 shipped in November 2005 with improved tab management and automatic updates. Opera continues pushing features early. IE7 is Microsoft’s answer to stop the bleeding, not to win the standards race overnight.
Smart users will keep a second browser installed for testing and for days when one engine chokes on a site. Smart developers will test in both.
Advice for Early Testers
When the preview drops:
- Install on a non-production machine first
- Keep IE6 available — some sites will not work in IE7 yet
- Report broken layouts to site owners; many small sites have no IE7 test plan
- Watch for phishing filter false positives on internal portals
What IE6 Holdouts Should Know
IE7 will not install on every machine on day one. Windows 2000 is out of scope. XP without SP2 is out of scope. Corporate environments will block the preview until applications certify.
That means IE6 remains the majority browser for months after the preview launches. Plan for both: test forward in IE7, ship safely in IE6.
Test Before It Arrives
IE7 has not shipped to the public yet, but tabs and phishing protection are no longer rumors. They are on Microsoft’s checklist, and the preview build is close enough that site owners should prepare now.
The next few months will move faster than the IE6 years did. Test your pages before the automatic update makes the decision for your users.