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As Mozilla Firefox nears 10% market share, with well over 25 million downloads direct from the makers website, and goodness knows how many through other sources, Microsoft announces that it will be releasing IE 7 ahead of schedule. Originally scheduled for release with Microsoft’s new Longhorn operating system in 2006, it seems that Microsoft are reacting to the run away success that Firefox has had over the last few months. But is Microsoft’s announcement just a response to Firefox’s success, or is it truly a commitment by the software giant to improve the browsing experience of the masses?

I’m going to make no secret about it; I am a Firefox user first and foremost. Ever since I first looked at Firefox and saw the features such as power tabbing, proper support for Internet standards and the integrated search bar, I’ve been in love with this browser. To me Internet Explorer has not a patch on the competition, and without a major update soon will surely fall behind. When Microsoft announced their plans to bring forward Internet Explorer 7 I was very interested in what they had to offer. Competition is the life-blood of progress, and if Microsoft were to seriously invest in their browser it would be of great advantage to Internet users as a whole. Unfortunately, I was disappointed at what emerged. It seems that all Microsoft are doing is making some nebulous claims as to ‘increasing the security’ of their browser. No mention of tabbing, increased standards support or any of the other features of Firefox which IE are sorely lacking. To me it seems that all Microsoft’s latest release aims to do is distract people in an attempt to out-hype Firefox.

I sincerely hope that I can be proved wrong and, for once, Microsoft can deliver on their promises. Early reports do, however, indicate that their new browser will only work with Windows XP, leaving many users out in the cold still. Even if Microsoft does get it’s act together there is one thing they’ll never have - cross-platform compatibility. While Firefox will run under Mac OS X, Linux, even old BeOS systems, as well as Windows, IE is limited to Windows only. So for now Firefox is far and away the best choice of browser for the web, and looks like it may stay this way for some time to come.

Do you not want to believe what I am saying? Well, even the almighty Google agrees with me. Just try searching for ‘best browser’, or even ‘browser’ in Google, and just see what comes up. Even MSN seems to agree. If you haven’t yet tried Firefox and would like to give it a go, it can be downloaded here. If you would like to know more about why you should consider changing your browser I can also recommend you go visit This Page: Why you should dump Internet Explorer.

Daniel Robson runs http://www.shock-therapy.org where he hands out his freeware, as well as hosting Freeware for Symbian UIQ series 7.0 phones such as the Sony Ericsson PX00 series.

Tags: browser, Daniel, Firefox, internet, Microsoft, Mozilla, Robson, Shock, Therapybrowser, Daniel, Firefox, internet, Microsoft, Mozilla, Robson, Shock, Therapy

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With the new release of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, people are asking what is new with the IE7 release? I have put together a list of the latest features listed in two categories: Immediately Noticeable and Additional Improvements. In addition, I have included a quick list of keyboard/mouse shortcuts for moving along quicker within the web interface.

IMMEDIATLY NOTICABLE:

Tabbed Browsing:

IE7 offers the ability to have multiple web-sites open contained within “tabs”. Changing from one website address to another is easily accomplished by pressing “tab buttons” that are visible across the top of the screen. All tabbed windows may be viewed at once in different visual configuration such as cascaded or horizontal layouts.

Instant Search Box:

Located to the right of the address search box is the “Instant Search Box”. By using this “box” any one of the major search engines may be queried to find information quickly; of course, the default is MSN.

Favorites and Notes:

An updated version of the “IE favorite bookmarks” has also been included. It’s easier to manage and use than the those of the pervious versions. There is also an import/export wizard to easily add bookmarks from previous versions. In addition, you can quickly open the Microsoft Notepad to “jot” down any information you may come across by selecting it from the menu bar.

Less Clutter and More of the Screen for Viewing Sites:

IE7 includes a more streamlined and friendly visual experience.

Improved Printing:

This release includes the ability to rescale the site so that it fits on the printed page. Options are also available for simply printing the text.

RSS Feeds:

Atom, RSS and other XML feeds will show up correctly and are automatically detected. In addition, there are options to quickly subscribe to an RSS feed.

Page Zoom:

With a few clicks and keystrokes IE7 can be made to enlarge or shrink both texts and graphics on a web page dynamically.

ADDITIONAL IMPROVEMENTS:

Security Status Bar:

If you go to a site that has a questionable security certificate or is known to be malicious, IE7 will warn you by displaying related messages. In addition, the “gold padlock” is much easier to see as it is now adjacent to the address bar.

Phising Filter:

In addition to the Security Status Bar, IE7 will check the site that is being visiting to check if it is a “clone” of a legitimate site. If it determines that something is “fishy” with the site, a screen will appear with warning information.

Built-in “Tracks” Eraser:

A single window has been included that will allow you to easily erase all of the cached pages, form data, cookies and history data contained within the browser.

Fix My Settings and Check My Connection:

Two features that will help you “repair” things faster. First, there is a one click “default” setting that will bring all the security settings back to the original states. Second, there is a one click option that will check if there are any problems that could be caused by the Internet connection.

Extra Security Settings:

There are many additional features within IE7 that pertain to security issues. Check the help file for more information.

Quicker Browsing:

Due to the caching and improved support for CS Sheets and other speed related improvements. IE7 should load web sites faster than before.

Add-Ons:

Although not quite “widgets”, IE7 offers the ability to easily download add-ons that will increase the usability and expandability of the program

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Microsoft Vista, Unique Features:

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.”

Parental Controls:

The ability for parents to control browsing behavior through a set of “parental” controls.

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Useful IE7 Keyboard and Mouse Shortcuts:

Please note an exhaustive list of these shortcuts can be found within the “HELP” file of IE7.

Viewing and Exploring Web-pages:

Toggle between full-screen and regular views of the browser window: F11

Move forward through the items on a web-page, the Address bar, or the Links bar: TAB

Move back through the items on a web-page, the Address bar, or the Links bar: SHIFT+TAB

Go to your home page: ALT+HOME

Go to the next page: ALT+RIGHT ARROW

Go to the previous page: ALT+LEFT ARROW or BACKSPACE

Scroll toward the beginning of a document in larger increments: PAGE UP

Scroll toward the end of a document in larger increments: PAGE DOWN

Move to the beginning of a document: HOME

Move to the end of a document: END

Find on this page: CTRL+F

Refresh the current web-page: F5

Refresh the current web-page, even if the time stamp for the web version and your locally stored version are the same: CTRL+F5

Stop downloading a page: ESC

Open a new website or page: CTRL+O

Open a new window: CTRL+N

Working With Tabs:

Open a new tab in the foreground: CTRL+T

Switch between tabs: CTRL+TAB or CTRL+SHIFT+TAB

Close current tab (or the current window if tabbed browsing is disabled): CTRL+W or ALT+F4

Open a new tab in the foreground from the Address bar: ALT+ENTER

Switch to a specific tab number: CTRL+n (where n is a number between 1 and 8 )

Switch to the last tab: CTRL+9

Close other tabs: CTRL+ALT+F4

Toggles Quick Tabs (thumbnail view) on or off: CTRL+Q

Using Zoom:

Increase zoom (+ 10%): CTRL+PLUS SIGN

Decrease zoom (- 10%): CTRL+MINUS SIGN

Zoom to 100%: CTRL+0

Using Search:

Go to the search box: CTRL+E

Open your search query in a new tab: ALT+ENTER

Open the search provider menu: CTRL+DOWN ARROW

Opening Menus:

Open the Home menu: ALT+M

Open the Print menu: ALT+R

Open the RSS menu: ALT+J

Open the Tools menu: ALT+O

Open the Help menu: ALT+L

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About: Prof. Joseph M. Pisano

Joseph M. Pisano’s Informational Website: http://www.jpisano.com

MUSic & TECHnology News and Headlines: http://www.mustech.net

______________________________________________

Prof. Joseph M. Pisano is the Assistant Chairman of Music and Fine Arts, Associate Director of Bands and the Director of Music and Fine Arts Technology at Grove City College. He is also an active trumpeter, musician, clinician, conductor, jazz advocate, adjudicator and educator

Grove City College is a private, highly competitive four year institution located in Grove City, PA

Tags: browser, guide, help, ie, ie7, information, internet explorer, Microsoft, new, news, shortcut, tips, web, xpbrowser, guide, help, ie, ie7, information, internet explorer, Microsoft, new, news, shortcut, tips, web, xp

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