Internet Explorer 7: I likey!
According to the majority of internet surveys, up to or over 90% of web users browse with some version of Internet Explorer - this number seems slightly incredulous to me given that everyone I know SWEARS they only use Firefox (’down with Microsoft, Man…’), but I happily admit to being an IE user.
Yes, I have firefox installed. Yes I know it’s much funkier/cooler/has widgets that can be embedded etc etc, but all of that is slightly outweighed by my love to see websites as they’re supposed to be rendered - not with odd formatting and wonky columns. I also admit to finding it a little backward to install an IE plugin so that you can open internet explorer pages within firefox. Despite this, I promise I do not believe in one browser having a monopoly - I’m clearly just lazy.
So imagine my delight when, after reading a pretty positive review in .NET magazine, I downloaded IE beta 2 (or to give it its formal moniker ‘Internet Explorer Release Candidate 1) and found TABS! A BUILT IN POP UP BLOCKER! A GOOGLE SEARCH BOX! Basically all the uber-cool features of Firefox and more.
My slightly less-informed review follows the jump.
The good:
- A slicker interface - very web 2.0, gone are the chunky square space-sucking buttons replaced with rounder, funkier icons.
- Tabs - plus the incredibly simple (and default) shortcuts to creating them. My fave being: the middle mouse button.
- Quicktabs - thumbnails of all the tabs currently open; reminds me of Powerpoint’s similiar feature.
- Integrated Google search engine: I can finally get rid of the google tool bar with the extras I don’t use.
- Built in RSS reader: Extra points go to the icon alert system that turns orange when an RSS feed is available from the page you’re viewing, and grey if not.
- RSS favourites: click on the orange icon, review the feed and if you like it subscribe and it goes to your favourites. This is then easily locatable from the Favourites icon on the tool bar.
- Built in pop-up blocker - another excuse to get rid of the google tool bar.
- Delete Browsing History: Finally a ‘delete all’ option, ending the time-consuming task of deleting cookies, passwords, temp files one laborious step at a time.
- Security & the Phishing filter: Benefits obvious, though I need to surf more nefarious websites to check this one in action…
- More standards compliant .Net tells me the new browser supports alpha channel transparency & CSS functions.
The bad:
- The new logo is very old-style-netscape.
- It doesn’t have the same integration with windows explorer - typing C:\ opens a new windows explorer window instead.
- I still have to visit a different page for each RSS feed. There’s no aggregation as with Google Reader or the majority of other RSS readers.
- The ‘X’ close button is on each individual tab. If it weren’t for the ‘Are you sure?’ message (the likes of which I usually turn off) i’d have lost many a blog entry/game by now.
The ugly:
- I’m sure one our developers would be able to contribute to this particular section. I’m open to suggestions!
Download Internet Explorer 7 here
In other news:
When I Googled ‘ie7′ this link came up:
Neither this site nor Mozilla is connected with Microsoft. Get Firefox.
www.ie7.com/
Firefox buying the ie7.com domain? Genius!
I downloaded it last night and had a play!
It’s pooh - clunky, difficult to use, and nowhere near as good as Firefox or Flock.
MS have got some work to do before it’s any good!
It probably isn’t anywhere near as good as flock, but coming from using IE6 - it’s excellent!
so if 90% of users use IE, how come at least two of the bit10 bloggers are using a template that works in Firefox but not in IE - a usability catastrophe!
I actually got around to downloading Firefox yesterday and am loving the tabs for use on ebay (yes, I’m back in that dark hole). It’s a bit weird for a lot of sites designed in IE, but I think I’ve used it more over the past 2 days that I have IE (novelty value?)
Until yesterday I’d only ever used IE and was quite happy in my ignorance.
Love that Firefox bought the IE7 domain.
I have Firefox too, but it’s just so much easier to open an ‘e’ than the weird orange symbol.
And as my blog works best in Firefox, I really should be using it.
Sounds like it has some good stuff and the usual Microsoft ‘are you sure?’ rubbish too.
I still love the GM version that did the internet rounds a few years ago ‘If Microsoft made cars, then before the airbag would be deployed, a message would appear saying ‘Are you sure?’.
The old ones are the best.