IE7: To the Rescue?

**mike** · #1 (**permalink**) 02-15-2005, 03:44 PM

It may be simply an idea whose time has come. It may be that Firefox is making enough noise to raise some eyebrows in Redmond. Either way, it looks like IE7 is on its way.

Today at the RSA Security Conference in SanFrancisco, Bill gates announced plans for a new version of the world’s most widely used Internet browser. Experimental versions of Internet Explorer 7 are expected to be ready for testing as early as this summer. The new and improved IE is apparently being developed with security being tops on the priority list. Measures to help users avoid ‘Phishing’ scams, spyware and viruses are expected to addressed in full as Gates pointed out that Microsoft has dedicated nearly $2 billion of it’s annual research and development budget on security.

While Internet Explorer still holds in excess of 90% of the browser marketshare, the new Firefox browser continues to gain popularity largely from veteran surfers seeking a higher level of security. Some statistics show Firefox with as much as 5% of the browser market. While 5% may be a far cry from IE’s 90%, it represents one of the strongest showings from a non IE browser in the past 10 years or so.

At any rate, do you think IE7 is an effort to improve the less than ideal security of the current IE, or is it purely a reactionary move to address a the Firefox browser's growing popularity?

Easywebdev · #2 (**permalink**) 02-15-2005, 04:22 PM

Sooner or later Microsoft would have to take notice of firefox. It maintains its stranglehold on the browser market due to internet explorer being embedded in the operating system.

I think that to have any hope of releasing a secure IE7 then microsoft are going to have to release it as a standalone browser that can be uninstalled and not as an upgrade to IE6. And advise users to not access the internet via IE6.

I've a strong suspicion that they wont do that. In essence they will be telling users who may not be readily aware that there are alternative browsers for windows and that may lead to a further surge in Firefoxs popularity.

From a developers perspective it would be nice if IE7 adhered to the w3c standards and changed their box model to comply with standards but thats unlikely given Microsofts history of doing things their own way and not giving a stuff about anyone else.

Is this an effort to provide a secure Microsoft browser or are we seeing the beginnings of a campaign to crush alternatives to IE? For me its a purely reactionary move.

Looks like the browser wars are back in full flow.

crewdy · #3 (**permalink**) 02-15-2005, 06:55 PM

I think they've got to get a head-start on Firefox before it starts picking real speed (as if 250,000+ downloads a day isn't fast enough!)

I also think that MS will have a bit of a challenge from the new AOL browser beta too. I know a lot of IE nuts (me included) who have converted to AOL Browser because of the added features it can give. It may not be more secure or lightweight, but it has some great features that MS would kick themselves for not incorporating quicker!

Plus the possibilities of Google and Jeeves Mozilla based browsers aswell, the Browser market is hotting up :)

Just a side, where do you get your browser statistics from? I always use W3Schools, but that doesn't seem too reliable compared to your stats...

valk97_goose · #4 (**permalink**) 02-15-2005, 10:17 PM

Has anyone heard if IE7 will only be available for those who have installed SP2?

TrafficProducer · #5 (**permalink**) 02-16-2005, 02:59 AM

Microsoft has dedicated nearly $2 billion of it's annual research and development budget on security.

That will be like a "Red rag to a bull," to hackers.

IE7 should be an improvement. I, and I sure other users, are looking for a one solution* an anti-hacking system.

* one solution: This may not exist and may never exist. Just look ate the Hack into MS spyware beta.

trogar · #6 (**permalink**) 02-16-2005, 08:18 AM

In answer to the question “do you think IE7 is an effort to improve the less than ideal security of the current IE, or is it purely a reactionary move to address a the Firefox browser's growing popularity”, I would say that, given Microsoft’s “NORMAL” business operations, it’s completely reactionary. Reasoning and support of this response, the posts from most the others above. What normally happens when Microsoft releases a program? They’re riddled with bugs and security issues. They rush the programs out before doing the appropriate amount of testing because they just have to make it to market before the competition.

Through their tight OS to browser integration concepts, including the way that XP and the newer MS OS’s operate, and Microsoft’s continued actions to place company profit ahead of the customers they serve, it’s plain to see Microsoft’s true intentions, and who they serve. They serve themselves. If they cared so much about consumers and the security holes their buggy software allows, then it wouldn’t have taken an increased Firefox browser popularity to get them to respond to a security issue. The biggest issue that’s been with them for the past decade; learn to serve the customer instead of using questionable business operations ethics to remove the competition, therefore forcing the customers to use the only product available. They FORCE us to use, or at least leave the programs installed, programs like IE and others. Good luck uninstalling IE. It's tighter integration with newer MS OS versions makes it almost impossible to uninstall the browser without turning your computer into a very large paperweight.

Microsoft=Reactionary. They just see Firefox as a threat and are trying to do damage control to keep present IE users from jumping ship because a new option has become available, and it performs better than their "flagship" product. Hello Redmond, This is the flagship IE. Mayday, mayday, we've taken heavy hull damage and are beginning to sink. Please advise. Over.

Just my two cents. Good day to all.

jdiben · #7 (**permalink**) 02-16-2005, 09:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by valk97_goose

Has anyone heard if IE7 will only be available for those who have installed SP2?

I read on CNN (I think it was CNN) that it will be availible for XP SP2 and Longhorn.

Joe

mushroom · #8 (**permalink**) 02-16-2005, 01:27 PM

Dose Microsoft care more about about security or profit?
With over 100,000 pices of malware floating around for Microsoft products it is clear that either, Microsoft no longer has ablitiy to fix their own software or They chose not to fix it hoping to SELL you a new software product.
As evidence see;
XP home http://secunia.com/product/16/
Xp Pro http://secunia.com/product/22/
Windows 2000 Professional http://secunia.com/product/1/
Windows Server 2003 Enterprise http://secunia.com/product/1174/
A quick scan of those pages shows that not only that Micrsoft has not patched a lot of known security issues, but some of them are years old.
That right Microsoft has left it's software unpatched for YEARS, how the consummer can put up with this is beyond me.
Now compare this to a few of Linux distro's
SUSE Linux 9.2 http://secunia.com/product/4258/
SuSE Linux 9.1 http://secunia.com/product/3473/
Fedora Core 3 http://secunia.com/product/4222/
Mandrakelinux 10.0 http://secunia.com/product/3918/
So what if Linux has more(?) security alerts atleast the chances of them ALL being patched quickly is much better.

trogar · #9 (**permalink**) 02-16-2005, 04:17 PM

Point well made Mushroom. I’d really love to see some software vendors get together with either a good fledgling OS upstart, or a solid OS company, to provide the same kind of functionality that forces most people to deal with the Microsoft OS. I wouldn’t doubt that most of this hasn’t happened, given Microsoft’s blood-lust for illegal activities in their business practices, because they have most of the software developers over a barrel in legal contracts or something. You’d think with all this that there would be some one out there to fill the gap that Microsoft refuses to address by leaving their bug ridden, poorly written, too early released code on the market without doing much to fix it.

It’s all just another thing to show who really matters where Microsoft is concerned. They surely don’t hold high morale or ethical concerns, and are willing to release poor products to the masses forced to accept them. To further talk of their lack of ethical considerations, any company with even a bit of ethical considerations would have never wound up in the anti-trust, and other legal issues, Microsoft has come up against. How a company can continue to force it’s customers to use it’s software ( ie browser ) and still maintain their customer base is still beyond me. I guess it just comes back to a case in point where there just isn’t much else out there that can offer what Microsoft offers, despite their poor delivery and buggy products.

Given any other company, how many would continue to use a product or service that continued to FORCE you to use it? I compare it to the problems of an addict. Like the addict, have we all become so dependent on Microsoft that we need them just as much as an addict needs their fix? Are we all really that naïve to continue to support such lack of customer care and business ethics? There’s no other OS available that offers the breadth of programs and ease of installation that Microsoft offers, save Apple. I think my next system is going to be a Mac, or any other system I can find to support the types of programs I need to use.