Network management Toolkit

Microsoft gets ready for IE7 release

Ina Fried CNET News.com

Published: 25 Aug 2006 09:40 BST

Microsoft on Thursday issued what it hopes will be the last test version of Internet Explorer 7 before the new browser is released later this year.

As the company has with recent beta versions, the near-final Release Candidate 1 version is being made available for free download, though users are required to confirm they are running a legitimately purchased version of Windows.

"The purpose of RC1 is to get the latest release out to the developer community so they can continue to test their sites...as we get closer and closer to final release," said Margaret Cobb, group product manager for IE.

Cobb said that Microsoft hopes RC1 will be its last test version, but she said that a second release candidate could be added, depending on the feedback the company receives.

"That would be our hope, that this is the last one before we release," Cobb said. Microsoft released the third beta version of the software in June.

The final version of IE7 for Windows XP is due to be released in the fourth quarter, with the new browser also being built into Windows Vista, which is slated to be made broadly available in January. Among the key enhancements are tabbed browsing, security enhancements and better compatibility with Web standards. It is the company's first major new browser release in years.

In part because of the security changes, Microsoft plans to push out IE7 as a "high-priority" update to Windows XP. The company is also releasing a tool that will allow businesses to block the upgrade if they wish.

On the surface, the new release candidate doesn't look that much different from the Beta 3 version, though Microsoft said it adds new bug fixes and performance improvements. Microsoft is also adding French- and Spanish-language versions of the browser.

One added touch is that installing the browser now removes earlier test versions. In the past, users had to manually uninstall prior IE7 installations before they could upgrade to a new version.

Did you find this article useful?
132 out of 211 people found this useful

More In Network management

Company/Topic Alerts

Create a new alert from the list below:

Related Jobs

SAP FI/CO - ANALYST NEEDED - LONDON/MANCHESTER BASE

This is an exciting opportunity to participate in an upgrade to ERP6, where a candidate can gain work on integration projects into SD, MM & PP. ...

SAP BCS Support Consultant - Reading-00055408

The Client operates a Netweaver 2004s BI7.0 system and is currently undertaking an extensive upgrade of its other SAP systems including the BCS ...

Openlink Test Analyst - Tier 1 Bank, Top 3 commodities dept Globally

They are looking for an exceptional candidate to support the testing function of this upgrade, performing: - manual script writing - regression ...

Featured Talkback

Could it be that ISP’s are making this out to be a bigger problem than it actually is? We’re a small country with an internet penetration of less than 60%, for every Youtuber there’s someone who only uses the internet to check their emails, more people surf on their mobile handsets than a few years ago. Surely things should even themselves up.