Ie7 Fully Launched Options

[Adrian]

Don't think I need to say a lot else.
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/downloads/default.mspx

I read the other day it's likely to be sent out via automatic updates in a few weeks, so probably the November patch updates....

[fisicx]

IE? That's the Microsoft thing isn't it.

Do I need it? Apart from testing websites, the answer from this corner of the universe is: No.

But thanks for the info Adrian - wonder how many budding enthusiasts are going to discover their websites collapse in front of their eyes...

[Adrian]

Heh, yeah, I've been debating all morning whether to actually install it on my work machine. I have a Vista machine next to me for testing, and if I upgrade my IE6, I'll then be left with little access to testing in IE6....

It is a big improvement over IE6 though. I was impressed by a few bits in my testing, the built in feed handling seemed fairly nice. Not enough to make me switch from Bloglines, but quite nice still.

And to be fair to them, it is easy to add new search tools,a nd change your default, no lock in to Windows Live Search. CHanging the search options is something I've always found an annoyance in Opera.

[yannis]

Do I need it? Apart from testing websites, the answer from this corner of the universe is: No.

.. and from this corner of the universe - another NO. I downloaded it and gave it a try. They have managed to enable things to be centered a bit better, but there is still a long way to go! Tried a form with :focus but still not supported!

Anyway, I have long decided NOT to provide hacks for IE but rather let things degrade gracefully!

Yannis

[cre8pc]

From the info my husband emailed me on this, because I was concerned when I heard we had no choice but to upgrade (I use Firefox, my kids use IE because its the one taught in their schools.)

Microsoft will release the final version of Internet Explorer 7 (English) in October 2006. Internet Explorer 7 (IE7 ) provides significant enhancements in security, platform management, and usability. Microsoft recommends that all genuine Windows customers install this upgrade.

Shortly after it is released, Microsoft will distribute IE7 as a high-priority update through Automatic Updates to help consumers become more secure and up-to-date. However, to ensure that customers are prepared to upgrade, IE7 will not install without user consent. Microsoft recognizes that, as part of a managed deployment plan, some organizations may wish to block users from receiving IE7 through Automatic Updates and is providing an IE7 Blocker Toolkit.

IE7 runs on Windows XP Service Pack 2, Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, and Microsoft Windows Server 2003. This announcement provides an overview of Microsoft resources and recommended actions that IT administrators should take to ensure their company's Web sites are ready for IE7 and that their browser-based applications will continue to work seamlessly with IE7.

This announcement updates previous information about Automatic Updates delivery released on July 26, 2006. For more information about IE7, please visit http://www.microsoft.com/technet/updateman...nouncement.mspx, or contact your Microsoft sales or support account representative.

o prepare for the release of IE7 in October and subsequent distribution through Automatic Updates, customers should:

1.Use the IE7 Readiness Toolkit to prepare for the release of IE7

2.Test and resolve any issues with their Web sites and applications using the Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit 5.0 (ACT 5.0).

3.Determine if their organization is ready for IE7 or needs to delay deployment. Find information on deploying the nonexpiring IE7 Blocker Toolkit on our Web site.

About the Automatic Updates Delivery Process

To help minimize disruption, automatic delivery of IE7 includes the following provisions:

1.Automatic Updates will notify users that an upgrade to Internet Explorer is available prior to starting installation.

2.IE7 will not install until a user who is a local administrator accepts the update. (Users may also choose to decline installation or ask to be reminded to install later.)

3.Microsoft has made available the IE7 Blocker Toolkit, which allows IT administrators to prevent users from receiving IE7 as a high-priority update from Automatic Updates and the Windows Update and Microsoft Update sites.

4.Users will be able to roll back to Internet Explorer 6 by removing IE7 through the Windows Control Panel Add/Remove Programs utility.

Find additional details and screenshots of the notification process on our Web site.

Options for Blocking Automatic Delivery

Microsoft recognizes that organizations may wish to postpone deployment of IE7 (for example, to allow time for user training or additional testing of browser-based internal applications and Web sites). Organizations using Automatic Updates to keep their unmanaged computers current can take one or more of the following steps to prevent users from automatically receiving IE7:

1.Download and deploy the IE7 Blocker Toolkit. The nonexpiring Blocker Toolkit includes both a Group Policy template and a script that sets a registry key to prevent Automatic Updates and the Windows Update and Microsoft Update sites from offering IE7 as a high-priority update. The Blocker Toolkit and FAQ were released on July 26.

2.Deploy an update management solution that provides full control over the updates you deploy to computers in your network. Microsoft offers the free Windows Server Update Services and the more advanced Systems Management Server 2003 update management products.

3.Prevent users from running as local administrators on their computers. Users who are not local administrators will not be offered the update and can be restricted from manually installing IE7

4. Instruct users to decline IE7 when Automatic Updates notifies them that the update is available for installation. All users will have the ability to decline installation.

[bobbb]

Slashdot claims there is already a IE7 Vulnerability discovered

http://slashdot.org/articles/06/10/19/1326247.shtml

Lets slashdot them for a change.

This post has been edited by bobbb: Oct 19 2006, 11:52 AM

[Mong]

Its fully launched after few hours of its launch a serious bug found
http://secunia.com/advisories/22477/

[JohnMu]

But perhaps to be a bit fair ... that issue is a IE6 issue which wasn't resolved (perhaps not even communicated to Microsoft?) which has been passed on to IE7

I installed it on my laptop. Actually, I installed FF2.0 RC3 and IE7 together, just to compare.

Firefox installed without much of a fuss.

The download I made for IE7 was -- as usual for Microsoft -- just an installer. The download had no progress-bar: oh - it did have one, but it kept going round and round and round and round. I got it through the WLAN, my laptops battery drained significantly during that download of unknown duration and magnitude. How many megabytes did I need? How many would it download? Would my hard disk have enough room? (wow -- FF2.0 has a spell checker in the field , neat) Where would it get installed? Is my IE6 now overwritten / removed? No idea.

Did I mention I had to verify that I was really using Windows first? Duh! No, I could be using a fake or stolen Windows, ha ha. Yes, I am first of all a potential thief. No Sir, Microsoft, I did not steal this copy of Windows. It came with my laptop, honest! Perhaps some hacker out there stole my key-number (through a tool which tries all combinations, which exist)? If Mr. Hacker were to verify first, would I be a thief?

Ah, and of course: No, it's not just a browser update. It also forces me to install some tool to avoid bad software. Isn't my system slow enough already? Software firewall, anti-virus, anti-spam, etc. Now I am also forced to use some tool which I have no idea about - no idea what it really does, if it's running now as I type or what it will do. I write Windows-based software for a living, I'd never get away with forcing a user to install programs which they didn't want. I bet Microsoft's tool would now even prevent that, LOL.

No, not done yet. It's still downloading. And installing some sort of system updates as well. Hmm... If they were important, wouldn't they be pushed with the automatic update? If they're not important, why are they being force-installed now?

Bing! It's done.

Time to reboot the system? Huh?! I just installed a browser update? FF 2.0 has been running for a while already, the extensions were mostly upgraded. I'm happy. It works. Do I have to reboot my computer ... PING! "PLEASE REBOOT NOW!" ... to make the browser work? Why is Windows constantly popping up in front of my other programs, begging me to reboot? My downloads would abort... Sigh.

Yessir! Microsoft, I am rebooting now. I like to keep my laptop in standby mode and haven't rebooted in a while. The things you do .... Off to reboot. Perhaps something magical and amazing has been installed. Perhaps my IE just has a new skin. <yawn>

John

[JohnMu]

It's ok. The laptop still restarted ok. I now have this cool little "help" icon next to my battery status.

IE7 starts ok as well. Well... it starts. It looks new.

Internet Explorer cannot display the webpage

Most likely causes:
You are not connected to the Internet.
The website is encountering problems.
There might be a typing error in the address.

What you can try:
Diagnose Connection Problems

More information

Hmm. Hidden text. Copy + paste the full page and I discover:

This problem can be caused by a variety of issues, including:

Internet connectivity has been lost.
The website is temporarily unavailable.
The Domain Name Server (DNS) is not reachable.
The Domain Name Server (DNS) does not have a listing for the website's domain.
If this is an HTTPS (secure) address, click Tools, click Internet Options, click Advanced, and check to be sure the SSL and TLS protocols are enabled under the security section.

For offline users

You can still view subscribed feeds and some recently viewed webpages.
To view subscribed feeds

Click the Favorites Center button , click Feeds, and then click the feed you want to view.

To view recently visited webpages (might not work on all pages)

Click Tools , and then click Work Offline.
Click the Favorites Center button , click History, and then click the page you want to view.

I assume that must not be so important, or perhaps too confusing. They have to hide it.

Interesting that the connection problem does not seem to bother Firefox. The page IE is trying to access is in "go.microsoft.com". Is their server down?

Heh. For those who don't have IE7 I can host that error message somewhere - you can open it in Firefox, hide the chrome and act like you're part of the "in-crowd".

John

Edit: Trying the URL in FF brings an error message - plain text with HTML markup but no HTML blocks, no BODY, etc. Sigh. Status "504 Gateway Time-out". IE7 took down Microsoft's servers - no wonder they didn't default the search settings to live.com .

Trying other sites in IE7 forces me to decide about using a phishing filter, which would send URLs to Microsoft to check. Is that good or is that a security issue? "Ask me later".

This post has been edited by softplus: Oct 19 2006, 01:58 PM

[bwelford]

Softplus, don't worry. Microsoft thinks it knows what's best for you. You're supposed to just relax. Don't worry, be happy.

This is what is called product-driven marketing. What era do you think you're in? Permission Marketing time?

[fisicx]

My Dad enjoys pottering on the computer. Tried to convince him to go broadband but he is quite happy on dial-up thank you. I bet he is going to be really impressed with MS when they try to update him with IE7.

BTW: he doesn't even use IE6 - he is an AOL subscriber so IE7 is not going be of much use to him.

[yannis]

Although it is far from bug free IE7 brought - at least to me - a bit of a relief! I rarely use hacks and to see some of the pages that previously displayed wrongly in IE display perfectly is very rewarding. However, this bring a dilemma - should one forget about IE now? Just code to standards and wait for IE 8.0 to close the gap?

What percentage of users do you think will upgrade to iE7.0? How long would this take?

Yannis

This post has been edited by yannis: Oct 20 2006, 06:58 AM

[Mano70]

I don't think you should forget about IE. Many users are using piracy software, and since those aren't (most probably) upgraded to SP2 they won't get IE7. And when it comes to standards, the IE7 upgrade isn't very impressive (although many sites made with standards now work without hacks):

HTML/XHTML: IE6 = 73%, IE7 = 73%
CSS2.1: IE6 = 51%, IE7 = 57%
CSS3 Changes: IE6 = 10%, IE7 = 13%
DOM: IE6 = 50%, IE7 = 51%
ECMAScript: IE6 = 99%, IE7 = 99%

http://www.webdevout.net/browser_support_summary.php

[Adrian]

It will be distributed by Automatic updates in November, unless blocked. So I'm thinking a decent number this time next month will be on IE7.

Only people with XP SP2 or newer will get it though, so you'll still have a certain number of people who won't even be offered it, and a good number probably still don't use automatic updates, aside from the corporates who will block it.

Might be something like 50% of current IE6 visitors moving to IE7 perhaps.

[markov]

I've received a mixed response for IE7 saying: Good, but not Great !

[DianeV]

Well, IE7 is now listed in my Automatic Updates window. To be honest, I'm rather wary of installing it. I still need IE6 as well, so I'm going to back up the entire system before installing it, and I'll hopefully be able to install it as a standalone.

But I note that for this month, as of last night, stats show that 714 people have visited the site with IE7.