With the release of the newest version of Windows, Vista, coming very soon, Microsoft has been talking a lot about the new operating system. In the midst of all this discussion though, a key part of it, Internet Explorer 7 (IE7), currently in an internal beta format, surfaced on the net. Yet again, Microsoft seems to be exposed.
Windows: Vista will be out some time this year. It will be the biggest version of Windows ever and will contain many new features. One of the biggest aspects will be IE7. The new browser promises new features like tabbed browsing, RSS feeds easily accessible and many other new features. One reason people know about is that the browser, along with screenshots has been leaked.
IE7 showed up on a German website with links available from JCXP.net. It’s packed into an 11GB .rar file. Other sites, like ActivWin.com, have been posting the screenshots. That’s where items like tabbed browsing have been picked up.
Many Windows junkies feel like this leak may be the beginning of something more significant regarding IE7. The version shown in the screenshots showed it as Beta 2, the version meant to be released as the beta for public consumption. Some have even suggested this is an “official” leak, as Microsoft hasn’t said two words about it yet.
As Windows Vista comes to the forefront, one of the biggest issues will be security. As often as XP and other version have gotten hacked in one form or another, Microsoft has been lax in their security. IE had been an integral part of the vulnerability. If IE7’s leak wasn’t done indirectly by the powers at Microsoft, then there appears to be a real nasty problem. Microsoft security doesn’t appear to be good enough to protect their own projects, let alone anyone else’s.
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John Stith is a staff writer for Murdok covering technology and business.
