Why Internet Explorer 7 May Change Your Web Browser Experience

The new version of Microsoft’s browser Internet Explorer, IE7, was recently released for developer beta testing. Although the beta version of the Web browser is not intended for widespread consumer use, it offers some insight into the features and functionality of the future finished browser.

IE7 Web Browser Interface Innovations

Internet Explorer 7 includes many new features geared toward improved usability and browsing flexibility, including:

• Tabbed Browser Windows: A feature made popular by the Safari, Opera and FireFox browsers will be included in IE7. Tabbed browser windows remove clutter from the task bar and simplify navigation by clustering open windows into a series of tabs displayed under the menu bar. This feature can be turned off for the sake of interface flexibility.
• Relocated Search Box: The search box has been relocated to the right of the address bar, making it easier for users to find.
• RSS Feed Support: IE7 includes the ability to view RSS feeds within the browser, and highlights the existence of a site’s RSS feeds with a small icon in the toolbar. This icon remains grayed out if a particular site does not offer an RSS feed, but turns red and becomes clickable if it does. Clicking on the icon will navigate directly to the feed in the same browser window.

IE7 Browser Security Features

The release of IE7 was initially driven by security concerns, as previous versions of IE are the primary source of maliciously exploited browser vulnerabilities. IE7, however, proves that Microsoft has recommitted itself to providing a secure browsing experience for its users with the following features:

• Phishing Filter: The Phishing filter alerts users when they are visiting a “Phishing” site, which is a site that exists to retrieve a user’s personal information for malicious ends, and is visually similar to some well-known Web service. IE7 compares sites to Microsoft’s database of known Phishing sites, and displays an icon and a warning message if a user navigates to one.
• Dynamic Security Protection: The internal architecture of the Web browser has been simplified to better protect against malware.

Internet Explorer 7 and Web Browsing

IE7 has increased support for CSS, or cascading style sheets, which will allow more flexibility in the manner in which developers can code sites and adds the potential for more fun features on the Internet. Since most Web developers code with this browser’s limitations in mind, expanding its functionality opens up new possibilities for the World Wide Web. With the new IE7 looming on the horizon, a high speed broadband Internet connection becomes even more necessary  for enjoying all the Internet has to offer.