IE7 Stripped Of WGA
The Internet Explorer team has announced today that IE7 will no longer have WGA attached to it and will be available for download to all Windows users. Today’s “Installation and Availability Update” will contain IE 7 without Windows Genuine Advantage.
This is either a move sparked by increasing market share that Mozilla FireFox is obtaining or this could be a move which will make the internet better as a whole if the majority of Windows users update their browser as IE7 contains many security enhancements over version 6.
There are three ways of obtaining IE7. You can get it now from the Internet Explorer home page on Microsoft.com, get a customized version from a third-party site, or, if you haven’t already received it via Automatic Updates, this version will be delivered to you as we described previously. If you are already running IE7, you will not be offered IE7 again by Automatic Updates.
Based on user feedback, the IE 7 team has made a few changes for IE7 on Windows XP:
- The menu bar is now visible by default.
- The Internet Explorer 7 online tour has updated how-to’s. Also, the “first-run” experience includes a new overview.
- We’ve included a new MSI installer that simplifies deployment for IT administrators in enterprises. Learn more about it here.
You really should think about using FireFox, Opera or Safari before you use IE. That’s truly the only way the internet as a whole will benefit. [Here, Here - Ed]
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October 5th, 2007 at 8:55 pm
Before installing IE7, it’s best to shoot yourself in the foot or other nonessential limb. At least then you’d have an excuse for doing something as stupid as installing another swiss-cheesed version of IE.
October 7th, 2007 at 8:34 pm
I agree Herne, but I also disagree…
If you are a person who NEEDS IE7 installed, (eg web designers, interaction designers or user interface builders) then you are stuck for an alternative, using web tools to check snapshots is nice, but its nothing like direct browser testing.
Like right now I have IE7, Firefox 2.0.0.7, Gran Paradiso (Firefox 3 beta), Opera 9.23 and (GOD FORBID!) Safari for Windows installed on my Windows box, I’ve also got Firefox 2.0.0.7, Gran Paradiso, Opera and the usual packaged browsers installed on a Ubuntu Feisty install so I can test out cross browser functionality.
Hell If I had a Mac (praying to the Apple gods to grace me with a new 24″ iMac) I’d have a triple boot system or at least using Parallels to have Windows and Linux browsers along side of Safari (mac), Firefox for mac and Camino installed so that I can adjust stylesheets and have best results all round for Cross browser performance.
And thats BEFORE I’d have any development tools installed!
October 8th, 2007 at 6:23 am
I wouldn’t want to be a web developer right now. Personally, I think the users (ie: us) should get together and send a clear message to everyone involved that we want a consistent web experience. The web has been around long enough that we should be able to rely on a browser–any web browser–to give is some consistency when we view a web page. Web developers shouldn’t have to “hack” any code to make it work, it should simply work and work correctly across each and every platform. Up until now, our best web experiences by far have been using Firefox. So when is everyone involved going to realize this? If people refuse to use the product offered, then the product must change. Microsoft is finally getting the message in regards to Windoze Vista, I think, but it’s taking a very long time to get it through their thick skulls that people simply do not like Vista or IE. Vista is a huge piece of crap, and until Microsoft gets if fixed, I personally will never use it. And if they stop supporting XP before they have the problems with Vista fixed then I will simply stop using the PC platform altogether and switch entirely to Mac. I stopped using IE and Outlook for these very same reasons… they don’t work, they aren’t secure, and so I will not use them. I hope Microsoft is listening.