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With a Firefox 3.0 release impending, Microsoft prepares to reveal its new firepower with a keynote on the status of IE8

MIX, an annual Microsoft-hosterd conference for web developers held each spring at the swank Venetian in Las Vegas, has often drawn exciting news.  At the first MIX conference, held in '06 Dean Hachamovitch, leader of Microsoft's Internet Explorer team gave an exciting presentation of the future of the browser, which highlight the improvements found in IE7 that would help the browser regain competitiveness against a more full-featured Firefox browser.  Internet Explorer 7 released several months later in October, and stayed very true to the form of Hachamovitch's presentation, adding tabbed browsing, antiphishing and more.

This year's MIX conference, held on March 5th through 7th, promises a similar preview at what kind of heat Microsoft is planning to unleash on the next generation browser arms race.    Hachamovitch will be giving an exclusive look at the state of Internet Explorer 8 and key features of the browser. 

Microsoft's browser is currently in the alpha release stage.  It will be going to an initial Beta release by mid '08.  This will preceed a late '08 launch.  Little is known about the features at this time so the announcement of Hachamovitch's keynote is creating considerable excitement in developer circles.

What exactly Hachamovitch has in store and the reception of the browser are critical to Microsoft's fight to stay competitive in the browser market sector.  While browsers are only one key segment of Microsoft's business, Microsoft takes them very seriously.  The company is not above doing a little trash talking about bitter rival Mozilla's Firefox browser.

The next generation browser war should be intense.  Microsoft has been bleeding marketshare to the Mozilla Foundation's browser throughout the IE6 and IE7 era.  Mozilla should get the jump on Microsoft when it releases Firefox 3.0, codenamed "Gran Paradiso", early this year.  The browser is currently on its second beta, with two more betas planned.  Initial reports are very enthusiastic and state that the browser is noticably faster, leaner and more intuitive.  Microsoft is sure to have some cards up its sleeve as well though, and MIX '08 should give a preview of them.

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IE7 Rocks
By kibets on 2/12/2008 9:31:18 AM , Rating: 5
I love IE7 and would never go Firefox, main reason Firefox is only a level 2 supported browser for Microsoft Technologies such as SharePoint. I develop MS Apps for a living :>




RE: IE7 Rocks
By The Sword 88 on 2/12/2008 9:56:28 AM , Rating: 5
While I dont develop MS apps I I love IE 7. I had Firefox until IE 7 came out, I just like th elook and feel better. They load about as fast, I havent clocked them, but I cant see a difference. I like being able to one click open a new tab instead of using a menu or ctrl-t or whatever it is in Firefox


RE: IE7 Rocks
By JediSmurf on 2/12/2008 10:18:02 AM , Rating: 2
You can middle click to open a new tab. and there's a button right there on the left as well.


RE: IE7 Rocks
By MrBungle on 2/12/2008 4:43:27 PM , Rating: 2
Better, yet, install Mouse Gestures and do it with a right-click and a stroke of the wrist.

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/39


RE: IE7 Rocks
By psychobriggsy on 2/12/2008 10:22:28 AM , Rating: 2
You know that you can add a "New Tab" button in Firefox if you really want that functionality?

I don't care what people use to view the web, but the original poster is probably creating broken websites that can only be viewed in IE, and I despise that. When you have a platform agnostic protocol and markup language, there is zero excuse for tying yourself into IE-only hacks.


RE: IE7 Rocks
By 3kliksphilip on 2/12/2008 10:55:27 AM , Rating: 2
I don't notice when I'm using one instead of the other. Now that Internet Explorer 7 uses middle mouse to open new tabs (Just as Firefox did before) they're both pretty much the same to me. I'd recommend people still using Firefox just to keep Internet Explorer on its toes. Monopolies get lazy without competition.

Can anybody spot the difference between 32 bit and 64 bit versions of Internet Explorer? Come to think of it, does anything run significantly faster with 64 bit? I make a habit of using the 64 bit version because it sounds cooler, but I can't say I've noticed anything different about it.

Once in a while Firefox deletes my Bookmarks and I'm not sure why. Perhaps V3 will fix that.


RE: IE7 Rocks
By robinthakur on 2/12/2008 11:00:38 AM , Rating: 1
SharePoint is primarily an enterprise solution. It is MS's middle tier operating system for collaboration and as such relies on IE's functionality being around with various things that only work on IE6/7 and not firefox without several drastic modifications to SharePoint's config (which most people are not aware of). However, as its mostly used for the intranet, with a handful of examples i've seen of it being deployed on an extranet or internet site its never been that big of a deal. At the end of the day its made by Microsoft and they don't want to help firefox get a foothold in the corporate environment by doing them any favours.

Most comapnies wouldn't touch Firefox anyway (especially the ones closely partnered to MS) as there's zero reliable support. One might argue that its not needed as much as with IE however. Narf.


RE: IE7 Rocks
By tastyratz on 2/12/08, Rating: 0
RE: IE7 Rocks
By TomZ on 2/12/2008 4:05:59 PM , Rating: 2
We use Sharepoint and Firefox together here without any problems. Sharepoint uses standard HTML, CSS, and JavaScript which are obviously supported well by all modern browsers.


RE: IE7 Rocks
By kibets on 2/12/2008 5:50:28 PM , Rating: 1
You are actually missing out on quite a bit using FireFox:

http://technet2.microsoft.com/Office/en-us/library...


RE: IE7 Rocks
By JonnyDough on 2/12/2008 6:08:44 PM , Rating: 1
That's what the free plug-ins are for. Besides, if they don't know they're missing out on it, then are they really missing out on it? If they're content and feel it meets their need, then doesn't it? The Amish don't feel a need for all our modern hardware. That doesn't mean they don't live happy lives.


RE: IE7 Rocks
By TomZ on 2/12/2008 8:45:33 PM , Rating: 2
The features that are "missing" in Firefox are quite a bit less than important. Yes, there is a better experience in IE, but web sites that use Sharepoint are more than just usable in Firefox.


RE: IE7 Rocks
By robinthakur on 2/13/2008 7:30:34 AM , Rating: 1
It depends what you use SharePoint for. If you use basic features of sharepoint 2007 then firefox is fine. Several more advanced features do not work well with Firefox and need development workarounds such as as the built in rich text editor and (as somebody below pointed out) the NTLM functionality. There are others but I suppose you would need to use some more of the advanced features to be aware such as the business data catalog, Excel services and Forms server to name but a few. Sharepoint 2007 also uses some ActiveX controls unfortunately which muddies the waters with regards to compatibility...There's also the complications around developing intranet solutions using the CSS for firefox as they tend to look completely different (read butchered) on the still mainstream IE6


RE: IE7 Rocks
By robinthakur on 2/12/2008 11:09:28 AM , Rating: 1
Hopefully the original poster realcises that you can include more than one style sheet on each page thus side-stepping the minefield of hacks to a degree, using IE scripts etc. and also that cascading stylesheets do actually cascade... ;)


RE: IE7 Rocks
By Calin on 2/12/2008 10:35:20 AM , Rating: 2
The Vista Aero theme adds a "new tab" microtab - just like in IE7


RE: IE7 Rocks
By JonnyDough on 2/12/2008 5:58:31 PM , Rating: 1
Control T is thanks. Much quicker than using a mouse in my opinion.


RE: IE7 Rocks
By JonnyDough on 2/12/2008 6:06:16 PM , Rating: 1
Then again, maybe some people have small hands. And smell like cabbage.


RE: IE7 Rocks
By Dorz on 2/12/2008 11:27:01 AM , Rating: 5
As mentioned before, your probably creating broken websites, if your dealing with CSS. IE7 is much better than IE6 but it still has catastrophically bad support for CSS . Its completely inept and makes life SOOOOOO much more difficult, awkward and time consuming for a developer. Its a real shame that IE is still the most popular browser because I for one do not want waste my time trying to coax into rendering my CSS properly if MS can't be bothered to provide proper support for CSS in the first place.

Microsoft should be ashamed of them selves for not getting CSS support sorted out years ago. Mozilla and Opera can do it with the little resources they have, yet cash laden MS with all their elite programmers have only just manged to pass the Acid 2 test with their wire frame IE8.

Its too bad that the unknowing use IE and developers have to struggle to get their CSS to do what IE wants not what standards say should happen.


RE: IE7 Rocks
By Messudieh on 2/12/2008 1:17:25 PM , Rating: 3
I am an avid Firefox user, and I agree fully about the poor standards support for Internet Explorer, especially on IE6.

One thing to think about though is that Firefox will not be Acid 2 compliant until the upcoming Firefox 3 either.

That being said, if IE8 comes out with all the promises that Microsoft is offering, then I will love the day just because I won't need to code for 2 or 3 different standards any more.

Just one; the right one.

Here's to hoping.


RE: IE7 Rocks
By Dorz on 2/12/2008 1:49:21 PM , Rating: 2
Indeed, however (and I could be wrong here, but...)passing the Acid 2 test doesn't mean the browser is standards compliant. If I recall correctly it just means is can render (correctly) a fantastically complex set of CSS rules which in turn should mean it can render CSS in general very well.

Now FF2 doesn't pass the Acid 2 test, however its support of CSS is far superior to that of IE. I very rarely find that I have to change things with FF to make things look right. What appears in FF is usually what appears in Opera (which does pass the test). It is always IE that pulls in the opposite direction and complicates things.