Nice :D This'll be the first time this has happened for a major (i.e. >10%) browser right? What I wouldn't give for the takeup rates Flash has...

i just installed it to see what it is about. it seems to be slightly faster than the earlier version.
however, setting up the toolbars as in the previous version seems to be impossible, and I have to either resign from my links toolbar or use more of my precious monitor space for the manu area. this is a big drawback.

a more rapid possible deployment of websites using advanced CSS techniques etc

Is there something that I should be doing? Does "advanced CSS" go beyond basic markup styling and layout techniques?

What exactly are we looking at here, capability-wise? New or just improved?

TJ

we will distribute IE7 as a high-priority update via Automatic Updates

...in order to take market share from FireFox.

I bet they will add/modify a toolbar as well, just to start sending more users to MSN search.

G$$gle, pay attention. This is how you fight real fights. By taking market share from a competitor, NOT BY ABUSING YOUR OWN CUSTOMER BASE.

New or just improved?

Just improved, IMHO. There's a posting on the IE blog about CSS in Beta 2: [blogs.msdn.com...] . And an overview [webmasterworld.com] in the CSS forum.

I haven't tried IE7 since the first public beta. But I'm not aware of any CSS improvements since then.

How many of you think that the MSN search share will shoot from the current 12% or so to as high as 20% in Q1/Q2 of 2007?...

It would be very interesting to see how much that little IE7 search box is going to help MSN!.

Although Microsoft has been keeping pretty quiet about this particular feature of IE7, it also means that a substantial number of international users will soon be able to type IDNs [internationalized domain names i.e. domains containing non-alphanumeric characters] straight into their browser address bar and have them resolve, since IE7 supports them natively.

This may quickly change the domain name/site naming picture for countries with non-Western character sets, such as Japan, Korean, Russia, China etc. with a possible knock-on effect on SEO.

[edited by: Edwin at 10:49 pm (utc) on July 26, 2006]

I just tried IE7 beta for a month or so and I have uninstalled it today. I got mad when I could not save the complete page from the shopping cart for my references. I saved that page on other computer with IE6. IE7 was also affecting my anti-virus software settings and lately started to freeze.

On top of above, I did not like the navigation set up:
- type-in bar is moved higher away from web pages(I like to see where I am without moving my eyes)
- more waste of space on the screen, more bars, more roll downs, more confusion
- icons in the right corner (I did not find the way to move them from right to left, which I prefer)
- graphics are tiring after while and kind of intrusive

Over all, I did not like it.

The rendering engine is a bit better but the GUI could be improved by a second grader, who is really drunk: it's that bad! Let's see someone hack Windows Update to send a high priority update: Firefox.

On the up side this will decimate IE 6.0's 33.3% market share on my site. :)

- John

[edited by: JAB_Creations at 2:00 am (utc) on July 27, 2006]

There's an opportunity for Firefox here. At least some of the people upgraded to IE 7 without realising it will dislike the changes.

and secondly a rapid, important (majority) market-share for IE7.

Too late for the many that have shifted to an alternative browser, unless M$ decides to change the default browser as part of the update.

They wouldn't do that, would they?

WBF

Google better get working too. Their toolbar popup blocker does not work with IE7. It just blocks every attempt to open a new window from a click

Is there something that I should be doing? Does "advanced CSS" go beyond basic markup styling and layout techniques?

What exactly are we looking at here, capability-wise? New or just improved?

It renders much the same as Firefox does, png transparancy actually works etc, I use it all the time now although I am using Vista Beta on my dev machine as I knew something like this would happen, I have already stopped designing sites to work in IE5 and now IE6 as well.

css wise, can we expect sites that work in IE6 to break in IE7?

personally i dont think this will affect FF's share of the market very much ...

css wise, can we expect sites that work in IE6 to break in IE7?

There will always be some discrepancy somewhere but it shouldnt be too difficult to fix.

css wise, can we expect sites that work in IE6 to break in IE7?

I found that my nav buttons behaved rather strangely. I now have an IE7 stylesheet brought in by a conditional statement. Those relying on hacks may have problems. I keep a copy of the latest beta on my laptop to keep an eye on any rendering changes.

At last we have a global 24bit-PNG support...

> Their toolbar popup blocker does not work with IE7. It just blocks every attempt to open a new window from a click

Haven't experienced this, it seams to work ok from here.

Mack.

I've not noticed any change from IE6, in that respect. That said, Firefox is my default browser, so I don't have regular experience of IE7.

What I want to see in IE7 is it not hanging when Google AdWords are down (or any external Javascript for that matter). Microsfot guys, if you are watching this thread, do quick tests on this. See more here:
[webmasterworld.com...]

Anyone can confirm/deny if IE7 hangs just like IE6 does?

So does this mean AOL will automatically start to use the IE7 engine?

It will be an automatic update unless you use the Toolkit to Disable Automatic Delivery of Internet Explorer 7 [microsoft.com]

Alpha channel support should start to result in real changes in the design of websites. Unlike with gif images, where you can only have 'transparent' or 'colour', with alpha channels you can have degrees of transparency.

I've noticed something worrying about the zoom feature on IE7 beta though. It seems to break the layout in some well-constructed sites, where the zoom in Opera, for example, has no problems. Hope they fix this.

...in order to take market share from FireFox.

I'm not sure how this will take market share from firefox. People using firefox don't use IE6. So, now they will not use IE7.

I suspect most people use firefox for political reasons or because someone told them "it was better". Neither of those change. It might slow the uptake of firefox because to an end consumer there is less benefit in moving, but that's all.

It is exciting that for the first time there will be good CSS & PNG support in maybe 70 - 80% of visitors. Still IE6 will retain a > 10% share so we will still need to hack for some time to come.

I'm not sure how this will take market share from firefox.

Very easy. I am sure they will replace some stuff, like make HTML Mime type to launch IE7 instead of Firefox. There are so many not obvious things that can be done short of making firefox "break" on some systems - hehe we don't suppose that ever happened ;-)

It seems me like a strike into the Firefox,at least MS is trying to but lets see if Firefox users will swicth to IE 7
The same time probably the target is not to let more users to switch to Firefox,not to prevent thos ealready using it to switch back to IE 7

IE7 will now support CSS Min and Max height and width.
Good move.