IE 7 Beta 2 Review
Good, Very Good!
Saturday, February 4, 2006 by Larry Kuperman | Discussion: Internet
Microsoft has released for public download the second Beta of the next version of their Internet browser. I have downloaded and installed the Beta 2 of IE7 (Internet Explorer 7) and so far I like the experience very much.
Key Features: Tabbed Browsing, a Streamlined (and highly configurable) user interface, greatly improved security, RSS feed support, toolbar search box. For a full feature list see Link (Some IE7 features will not be available until Vista rolls out.
Killer Feature: Quick tabs, thumb nail view of the tabs that you have open.
If you have used Firefox, the experience will be immediately familiar. Set up was easy, configuration was intuitive. The tabs look the way I have my tabs set in Firefox (I use Tab Mix Plus) and useage was familiar. IE 7 install also optionally runs the Microsoft Malicious Software Removal Tool at installation,which was a nice touch, I thought.
I configured the search box immediately, choosing Google over MSN Seach without problem.
Memory usage still seems higher than for Firefox. IE7 with two tabs open: 67 Mb. Firefox 1.5.0.1 with the same two tabs: 47 Mb. If anyone gets different results, I would like to see them.
As mentioned before, security is GREATLY improved. Tools> Manage Add Ons lets you see what is running and gives you the option of Enabling/Disabling an Add On or deleting it all together. There are also built-in links for a number of Add Ons, including security ones, at http://windowsmarketplace.com/content.aspx?ctId=63 You can get Pop Up blockers, anti-Spyware programs, etc.
The interface is way cleaner, although you can easily go back the IE6 "classic" look if you want. See Link
IE7 is obviously intended to go head to head with Mozilla's Firefox. In my not-so-humble opinion, it is competitive. It doesn't blow Firefox away, but it is much better than IE6.
Take the full tour at Link
Key Features: Tabbed Browsing, a Streamlined (and highly configurable) user interface, greatly improved security, RSS feed support, toolbar search box. For a full feature list see Link (Some IE7 features will not be available until Vista rolls out.
Killer Feature: Quick tabs, thumb nail view of the tabs that you have open.
If you have used Firefox, the experience will be immediately familiar. Set up was easy, configuration was intuitive. The tabs look the way I have my tabs set in Firefox (I use Tab Mix Plus) and useage was familiar. IE 7 install also optionally runs the Microsoft Malicious Software Removal Tool at installation,which was a nice touch, I thought.
I configured the search box immediately, choosing Google over MSN Seach without problem.
Memory usage still seems higher than for Firefox. IE7 with two tabs open: 67 Mb. Firefox 1.5.0.1 with the same two tabs: 47 Mb. If anyone gets different results, I would like to see them.
As mentioned before, security is GREATLY improved. Tools> Manage Add Ons lets you see what is running and gives you the option of Enabling/Disabling an Add On or deleting it all together. There are also built-in links for a number of Add Ons, including security ones, at http://windowsmarketplace.com/content.aspx?ctId=63 You can get Pop Up blockers, anti-Spyware programs, etc.
The interface is way cleaner, although you can easily go back the IE6 "classic" look if you want. See Link
IE7 is obviously intended to go head to head with Mozilla's Firefox. In my not-so-humble opinion, it is competitive. It doesn't blow Firefox away, but it is much better than IE6.
Take the full tour at Link
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KenzieDamage
Reply #22 Sunday, February 5, 2006 7:44 AM
Even if it is the final UI, how soon do you think it will be before we get to change it with WindowBlinds?
Reply #22 Sunday, February 5, 2006 7:44 AM
| The features are great, but in my opionion the UI is lacking. Hopefully this won't be the final "face" of IE7. |
Even if it is the final UI, how soon do you think it will be before we get to change it with WindowBlinds?
starkers
Reply #23 Sunday, February 5, 2006 9:48 AM
Reply #23 Sunday, February 5, 2006 9:48 AM
Using it right now...seems to run well and not too resource intensive, no more than FF, anyhow.
One problem I've found is that some images do not appear, just a red cross instead. However, only been fiddling with it for a short while and figure it can be tweaked, etc to resolve the few small issues so far found here.
Generally speaking it is a good browser and is faster than IE6....the full release should prove to be quite something is this beta version is anything to go by.
Shall know more once I've played with it more, but yeah, it seems to have potential and a fair cut above previous IE releases.
One problem I've found is that some images do not appear, just a red cross instead. However, only been fiddling with it for a short while and figure it can be tweaked, etc to resolve the few small issues so far found here.
Generally speaking it is a good browser and is faster than IE6....the full release should prove to be quite something is this beta version is anything to go by.
Shall know more once I've played with it more, but yeah, it seems to have potential and a fair cut above previous IE releases.
thomassen
Reply #24 Sunday, February 5, 2006 10:47 AM
Reply #24 Sunday, February 5, 2006 10:47 AM
What I find most exciting is that they are working to improve CSS support. All though, it'll be interesting to see how far they go. I got they feeling they are doing a catch-up only. Something which isn't good considering how rarely IE has been updated lately regarding web standards. Ideally they should have pushed a little further ahead and assist the progress and adoptation of new standards.
kryo
Reply #25 Sunday, February 5, 2006 2:52 PM
Not so much--as I found out just yesterday trying to get a design working right in IE7, it seems that it completely ignores any attempt to place comments in CSS, instead interpreting any and every line, commented or not. At any rate, the devs have already noted that there's no plan for full CSS2 support even by the time it's done.
And IMO the interface is terrible, and largely uncustmoizable. No menus by default (worse, when you turn them on they're stuck below the address bar), the horrible "friendly" button bar can be moved but not REmoved, and at least for me, the tabs don't even work.
I'll stick with Firefox, thanks.
Reply #25 Sunday, February 5, 2006 2:52 PM
| What I find most exciting is that they are working to improve CSS support. |
Not so much--as I found out just yesterday trying to get a design working right in IE7, it seems that it completely ignores any attempt to place comments in CSS, instead interpreting any and every line, commented or not. At any rate, the devs have already noted that there's no plan for full CSS2 support even by the time it's done.
And IMO the interface is terrible, and largely uncustmoizable. No menus by default (worse, when you turn them on they're stuck below the address bar), the horrible "friendly" button bar can be moved but not REmoved, and at least for me, the tabs don't even work.
I'll stick with Firefox, thanks.
thomassen
Reply #26 Sunday, February 5, 2006 5:33 PM
Reply #26 Sunday, February 5, 2006 5:33 PM
In regards to the latest UI change, I've only seen screenshots, but I thought it looked a bit unorganized. Optimizing the space for the viewing of the website is good, but it didn't seem friendly.
Fourth Letter
Reply #27 Sunday, February 5, 2006 6:01 PM
Reply #27 Sunday, February 5, 2006 6:01 PM
"As mentioned before, security is GREATLY improved. Tools> Manage Add Ons lets you see what is running and gives you the option of Enabling/Disabling an Add On or deleting it all together."
This feature already exists in IE6
This feature already exists in IE6
ExodusCrow
Reply #28 Sunday, February 5, 2006 8:34 PM
Reply #28 Sunday, February 5, 2006 8:34 PM
You forgot some of the other great features in IE7. Printing has been GREATLY improved and page zooming is pretty cool. We just have to remember that this is just a preview of IE7 and is mainly intended for developers to test it out on their pages and is not feature complete.
As with other browsers there are pros and cons with IE7. I can't wait to see the next release.
As with other browsers there are pros and cons with IE7. I can't wait to see the next release.
starkers
Reply #29 Sunday, February 5, 2006 8:46 PM
Reply #29 Sunday, February 5, 2006 8:46 PM
UPDATE...
Upon reboot this morning and trying to connect to the net, I got a blue screen with the Windows has been shut down message.
On second reboot everything loaded okay and all seemed fine...until I tried to connect to the net, same blue screen.
Uninstalled IE7 beta and did a registry clean up, etc, and all is well with connecting to my ISP. It would seem that IE7 changed my internet settings somehow, as well as some scripts....when able to log on to the net, I got some 'change' message boxes from MS Antispy to state that some script and ActiveX controls had been reverted to their prior state (based on previous allowed settings).
Shame, that! I was enjoying its use. Oh well, sent an error report and I'm sure the issue will be resolved prior to final release.
Upon reboot this morning and trying to connect to the net, I got a blue screen with the Windows has been shut down message.
On second reboot everything loaded okay and all seemed fine...until I tried to connect to the net, same blue screen.
Uninstalled IE7 beta and did a registry clean up, etc, and all is well with connecting to my ISP. It would seem that IE7 changed my internet settings somehow, as well as some scripts....when able to log on to the net, I got some 'change' message boxes from MS Antispy to state that some script and ActiveX controls had been reverted to their prior state (based on previous allowed settings).
Shame, that! I was enjoying its use. Oh well, sent an error report and I'm sure the issue will be resolved prior to final release.
Larry Kuperman
Reply #30 Sunday, February 5, 2006 10:46 PM
Reply #30 Sunday, February 5, 2006 10:46 PM
Fourth Letter, you are probably right and I simply was not aware of that feature in IE6. The new security features can best be summarized as follows:
Add-ons Disabled Mode
To help troubleshoot difficulties launching Internet Explorer or reaching specific websites, you have the ability to start in "No Add-ons" mode, where only critical system Add-ons are enabled.
ActiveX® Opt-in
Disables nearly all pre-installed ActiveX controls to prevent potentially vulnerable controls from being exposed to attack. You can easily enable or disable ActiveX controls as needed through the Information Bar and the Add-on Manager.
Security Status Bar
Enhances awareness of website security and privacy settings by displaying color-coded notifications next to the address bar. Internet Explorer 7 changes the Address Bar green for websites bearing new High Assurance certificates, indicating the site owner has completed extensive identity verification checks. Phishing Filter notifications, certificate names, and the gold padlock icon are now also adjacent to the address bar for better visibility. Certificate and privacy detail information can easily be displayed with a single click on the Security Status Bar.
Address Bar Protection
Every window, regardless of whether it's a pop-up or standard window, will present an address bar to the user, helping to block malicious sites from emulating trusted sites.
An additional feature will be added with Vista:
Protected Mode
Internet Explorer 7 in Windows Vista runs in isolation from other applications in the operating system. Exploits and malicious software are restricted from writing to any location beyond Temporary Internet Files without explicit user consent.
ExodusCrow, you are also correct about both the Printing and Zoom modes being very useful.
Advanced Printing
Automatically scales a printed webpage so that it's not wider than the paper it will be printed on. Internet Explorer 7 also includes a multi-page print preview with live margins, resizing text to avoid document clipping, and an option to print only selected text.
Page Zoom
Enlarge or zoom in on individual webpages, including both text and graphics, to either focus on specific content or to make content more accessible to those with vision limitations.
I also mentioned that, in my opinion, "It doesn't blow Firefox away, but it is much better than IE6." I said that I would probably run two browsers for a while. (Also be aware that Firefox 2.0 will be out sometime in the near future.)
IE 7 has importance, not as an upgrade for XP, but because it is the browser version that will ship with Vista. Vista will be out before the end of the year and all new PCs will ship with it. Sooner or later, it will make its way onto our PCs and that is reason enough for me to try the Beta.
Add-ons Disabled Mode
To help troubleshoot difficulties launching Internet Explorer or reaching specific websites, you have the ability to start in "No Add-ons" mode, where only critical system Add-ons are enabled.
ActiveX® Opt-in
Disables nearly all pre-installed ActiveX controls to prevent potentially vulnerable controls from being exposed to attack. You can easily enable or disable ActiveX controls as needed through the Information Bar and the Add-on Manager.
Security Status Bar
Enhances awareness of website security and privacy settings by displaying color-coded notifications next to the address bar. Internet Explorer 7 changes the Address Bar green for websites bearing new High Assurance certificates, indicating the site owner has completed extensive identity verification checks. Phishing Filter notifications, certificate names, and the gold padlock icon are now also adjacent to the address bar for better visibility. Certificate and privacy detail information can easily be displayed with a single click on the Security Status Bar.
Address Bar Protection
Every window, regardless of whether it's a pop-up or standard window, will present an address bar to the user, helping to block malicious sites from emulating trusted sites.
An additional feature will be added with Vista:
Protected Mode
Internet Explorer 7 in Windows Vista runs in isolation from other applications in the operating system. Exploits and malicious software are restricted from writing to any location beyond Temporary Internet Files without explicit user consent.
ExodusCrow, you are also correct about both the Printing and Zoom modes being very useful.
Advanced Printing
Automatically scales a printed webpage so that it's not wider than the paper it will be printed on. Internet Explorer 7 also includes a multi-page print preview with live margins, resizing text to avoid document clipping, and an option to print only selected text.
Page Zoom
Enlarge or zoom in on individual webpages, including both text and graphics, to either focus on specific content or to make content more accessible to those with vision limitations.
I also mentioned that, in my opinion, "It doesn't blow Firefox away, but it is much better than IE6." I said that I would probably run two browsers for a while. (Also be aware that Firefox 2.0 will be out sometime in the near future.)
IE 7 has importance, not as an upgrade for XP, but because it is the browser version that will ship with Vista. Vista will be out before the end of the year and all new PCs will ship with it. Sooner or later, it will make its way onto our PCs and that is reason enough for me to try the Beta.
RockinMike
Reply #31 Sunday, February 5, 2006 11:09 PM
Reply #31 Sunday, February 5, 2006 11:09 PM
Personally for myself IE7 is quite more pleasing than firefox. Cutting out the intranet from the explorer itself was quite awesome, plus changing the default settings for the internet for home users was huge plus. I find using IE7 very gratifying.
ericdrum
Reply #32 Monday, February 6, 2006 11:14 AM
Reply #32 Monday, February 6, 2006 11:14 AM
"select" statements in html look messed up with the 3 WB skins I've tried. They just show a blank box next to the object. Anyone else experience this?
Here's an example.
Here's an example.
GreenReaper
Reply #33 Monday, February 6, 2006 11:51 AM
Reply #33 Monday, February 6, 2006 11:51 AM
If you want to add more search providers to IE7 than the default given, try TweakVista. Despite the name, it should work on XP if you have .NET 2.0 installed. It's got way more on offer than the default engines, and you can even make your own if your site supports "GET"-based search (with the parameters in the URL).
RPGFX
Reply #34 Tuesday, February 7, 2006 11:43 AM
Reply #34 Tuesday, February 7, 2006 11:43 AM
I tried it, and played with it for about an hour this morning. I like it. I don't love it, but it's ok. In it's current beta state it would no way replace Firefox for me, but we'll see how it ends up in final version. I do like the zoom, and the new layout. Don't like how slow and jumpy pages scroll, and I don't like the toolbar options much... But it's much better than IE6, that's for sure.
Island Dog
Reply #35 Tuesday, February 7, 2006 12:08 PM
Reply #35 Tuesday, February 7, 2006 12:08 PM
| "select" statements in html look messed up with the 3 WB skins I've tried. They just show a blank box next to the object. Anyone else experience this? |
Yes. Also when I backspace to correct a spelling error the letters don't "disappear".
fidelae
Reply #36 Wednesday, February 8, 2006 3:44 AM
Reply #36 Wednesday, February 8, 2006 3:44 AM
I'm wondrig if it as something to do with IE7. But my login in wincustomize is refused since I've installed it while still accepted through Fx.Login failed also with my Firewall (Securepoint) and my Antivirus (Avast) desactived. Anybody with this kind o difficulty?
Wish a good day from rainy Paris
Wish a good day from rainy Paris
Jafo
Reply #38 Wednesday, February 8, 2006 7:47 AM
Reply #38 Wednesday, February 8, 2006 7:47 AM
| Get Opera, |
I think I first started using Opera around '99 ......something like that...6 or 7 years....
Kevin_C
Reply #39 Wednesday, February 8, 2006 9:14 AM
Tried it a few versions ago... HATED it.. Might try version 9 when it comes out but unless it's changed A LOT I probably still won't like it.
Reply #39 Wednesday, February 8, 2006 9:14 AM
| Get Opera, if you do you will thank me for it trust me |
Tried it a few versions ago... HATED it.. Might try version 9 when it comes out but unless it's changed A LOT I probably still won't like it.
DesignCaddy
Reply #40 Wednesday, February 8, 2006 12:11 PM
Reply #40 Wednesday, February 8, 2006 12:11 PM
Broken Square,
isass.exe ( I) is a virus. http://www.liutilities.com/products/wintaskspro/processlibrary/isass/
lsass ( L )is a system file, look closely and make sure of which process is running.
---
So far i'm happy, i was waiting for this release for some time because a lot of my work uses sites with activx content, and Opera bombs out in that field, as well as with flash. I've been tired of using two browsers throughout the day. The first thing i did however was head over to Hermik's site to test the CSS. Everything loaded up quick and looked right. Upgraded CSS support is what will make the browser for me.
IE7 is more slick than its predessesors.. whether it was meant to or not, i accidentally removed the menu bar ( when i hit alt+f it temporarily appears wedged between the nav and tab bars ) but i still have access to all the options i would need.
I also appreciate how easy it was to change the search engine.
The Manage Add-On's feature is a blessing. One click and i have access to all of the misc crap that applications add on to IE and i can choose to remove them.
Will still need to figure out those tabs, though. I still get additional windows loading and i want only tabs.
| an app (Isass) in my task manager spiked my cpu to 100% |
isass.exe ( I) is a virus. http://www.liutilities.com/products/wintaskspro/processlibrary/isass/
lsass ( L )is a system file, look closely and make sure of which process is running.
---
So far i'm happy, i was waiting for this release for some time because a lot of my work uses sites with activx content, and Opera bombs out in that field, as well as with flash. I've been tired of using two browsers throughout the day. The first thing i did however was head over to Hermik's site to test the CSS. Everything loaded up quick and looked right. Upgraded CSS support is what will make the browser for me.
IE7 is more slick than its predessesors.. whether it was meant to or not, i accidentally removed the menu bar ( when i hit alt+f it temporarily appears wedged between the nav and tab bars ) but i still have access to all the options i would need.
I also appreciate how easy it was to change the search engine.
The Manage Add-On's feature is a blessing. One click and i have access to all of the misc crap that applications add on to IE and i can choose to remove them.
Will still need to figure out those tabs, though. I still get additional windows loading and i want only tabs.
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Reply #21 Sunday, February 5, 2006 7:39 AM