Internet Explorer 7 Final Released

by Arun Vishnu · Published October 20, 2006 · Updated February 1, 2009

Microsoft late Wednesday released the much-anticipated final version of Internet Explorer 7, the first major update to the market-leading Web browser in five years. The company has high hopes for the release, which arrives amid growing competition from Firefox.

IE7 includes a number of new features such as a built-in Phishing Filter and ActiveX controls that require manual activation to keep users protected. Under the hood, Microsoft has rewritten the networking architecture of the browser to stop URL spoofing attacks.

IE7 will also play a key role in bringing Windows into the so-called “Web 2.0” era, in which rich applications can reside on a server but feel as snappy as those on the desktop. The release natively supports asynchronous JavaScript and XML, better known as AJAX, along with including a slew of CSS bug fixes and improvements.

Microsoft has additionally built a new RSS feed platform directly into IE7. Not only will users be able to stay up to date by subscribing to Web sites, but application developers can also hook into the platform and easily make use of RSS APIs.