THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
SEATTLE -- Microsoft Corp. on Thursday released a near-final version of its new Internet Explorer browser, and the company said it is currently on track to have the final version done by the end of the year.
The debut of Internet Explorer 7 Release Candidate 1 contains all the features the company hopes to include in the final product, its first major update for its browser software in years. These include the ability to open multiple "tabs" in the same browser window - a popular function in rival Mozilla's Firefox browser - plus updated security functions.
The near-final release is aimed at industry professionals and tech experts who may help the company spot last-minute kinks and bugs.
Microsoft won't say how many people have downloaded previous test versions.
Tony Chor, a group program manager with Internet Explorer, said the company also hadn't yet decided whether it would put out one more test version before the final product is released. He said the company is currently planning to make the final version of IE7 broadly available in the last three months of this year, barring any unexpected problems.
IE 7 will be available for download for people using Windows XP, and it will be included in the forthcoming version of Windows, called Vista. After many delays, Vista is currently scheduled to be available for business users in November, and for consumers in January.
source: seattlepi.nwsource
for all you IE fans you must be happy to hear that.
OFC my opinion is Firefox kicks IE's ass.
