Contrary to previous statements by
Microsoft, it would appear that the company is planning to produce a major
update to Internet Explorer, but only for Windows XP, and only for
installations with Service Pack 2 (SP2) installed.
It had originally stated that any new
version of the browser would be incorporated only into its next generation
operating system (code-named Longhorn) due to be released in 2006.
Many in the IT industry feel (perhaps
cynically) that Microsoft is responding to the surge in interest in the new
Mozilla Firefox browser. Firefox has now been downloaded by an estimated 25
million users, and significantly hit Microsoft’s share of the Internet browser
market.
It is not entirely clear (based on Bill
Gates statement at the major RSA security conference in San Francisco last
month) exactly what will be different in Version 7, but many believe it will
attempt to address the issues surrounding “phising” and may copy some of the
features of Firefox, which includes faster displaying of graphics and pictures,
and support for multiple browser windows using tabs.
Unfortunately, there will be no help for
users of Windows 2000, Windows 95/98 or ME, since the new version will depend
totally on new code that only came with Windows XP SP2.
