Browser Security News

Like a lot of people, when Microsoft’s latest browser was released, I installed it right away. In fact, I installed it on about half a dozen machines. As the days have turned into weeks (soon to be months) since Microsoft released Internet Explorer 7, what has become clear to me and many others is that some Web sites and many Web applications just aren’t ready for this new version of the browser. On my computers, that has meant a return to IE6, until the Web and Web-based applications catch up with IE7.

I’ve received reports from many readers about compatibility problems between IE7 and, especially, Web-based ASP products and proprietary or customized enterprise apps. It’s been a five-year run for IE6, and the Web developers who serve the business world appear to have moved in for the long haul.

My best advice at this point is to stick with IE6 for a while if you’re a confirmed IE user, or switch at least temporarily to Firefox 2 or Opera 9. If you’ve made the switch to IE7 and don’t want to go back (and I can’t blame you — I prefer IE7 too), the compatibility issues emphasize a key drawback of the new browser you should think through. By upgrading to IE7, you’ve lost a key safety net that Windows-based Firefox and Opera fans enjoy: They can always fire up IE6 when they hit a site or attempt to run a Web-based app that doesn’t react well to their browser. But if you’re using IE7, you’re stuck. Computerworld - Living with (or without) Internet Explorer 7.0