REDMOND: The next version of Microsoft's web browser Internet Explorer will fix all the problems relating to security and will be easier to adapt, claims the company.
Microsoft's group program manager for Internet Explorer, Tony Chor, who outlined the new features of the browser at a Webstock web design conference recently, said most importantly the new version improves the browser's security, one of the most contentious issues involving users of IE6. He said while it is "architecturally more sound", it will use colors in the address bar to indicate the safety of sites. Green will denote safe sites, red for known phishing sites and yellow for suspected ones.
IE7 is currently in its second beta version and the final version is due to be released in the second half of this year. IE6 was released in 2001.
Chor said the new coloring feature has prevented some 50,000 phishing attacks since the second beta version was released in late April.
IE7 borrows several features from other browsers, notably the tabbed browsing, which allows new pages to be opened in the same window.
In default setup, menus are hidden, giving more space for the webpage. A search box is located at the right of the address bar and MSN is the default search engine. This can be easily changed.
Chor said there will be IE7 versions for Windows XP as well as Windows Vista, the next operating system due for release early next year. In Vista, the browser will run in "protected mode", writing only to a temporary cache. This will stop attacks to install spyware.
Besides, it has an intelligent printing function that automatically prepares webpages to the right width.
Microsoft has incorporated a separate platform to support RSS news feeds, so these can be read on the desktop or in Outlook.
