Word is beginning to leak out of Redmond about the forthcoming update of Microsoft's web browser, Internet Explorer 7. As I wrote back on February 16, Microsoft shocked the world by announcing they will come out with a new, stand-alone release of IE prior to the release of their next version of Windows. It had been expected that Microsoft would follow their tradition of introducing a new web browser at the same time as a new operating system.
Many analysts claim that the new IE is a reaction to the unexpected success of Firefox. And, as much as Microsoft would like us all to believe that the forthcoming standalone release of IE 7.0 is not a knee-jerk reaction to increased competition from the open source browser, it's difficult not to view it that way.
Tougher still, after learning it's going to look a heck of lot like the upstart browser. Sources say that IE 7.0, known around Redmond as "Rincon," will not only offer tabbed browsing, but an RSS reader as well.
Add to this transparent Portable Network Graphics, IDN support, a revamped Secure Sockets Layer user interface, and restrictions that prohibit cross-domain scripting, and it becomes pretty clear that IE 7.0 is being developed with Firefox very clearly in mind.
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