TechNudge Live - Opinions and Reviews for the Informed

Since I downloaded my first copy of FireFox, I have really been hooked on the feature of tabbed browsing. I'm sure I'm not alone, and once someone tries it, they'll be hooked as well. In typical Microsoft fashion, they don't think of much on their own, but they're not afraid to copy from the best.

I've loaded on my desktop are FireFox, Opera, Maxthon, and Netscape; I tend to use FireFox the most as of late. There are some times, for one reason or another, that only Internet Explorer will do. The standard for Windows XP is IE 6, which is the latest official version. It's not a bad browser in the end, but it almost feels retro to me as it lacks the tabbed browsing that really is a key to a better browser experience. However, until we get the new version of Windows, this IE 6 is the state of the art from Gates and crew.

This is not the end word by an means though, because the prototype of Internet Explorer version 7 is available for download from the Microsoft site. A few months back, I decided to do just that, and had IE 7, bet 2 on my computer. I looked the other way from beta, and rationalized that ALL software from Microsoft is quite beta anyway. That just might explain the constant Tuesday updates that I have to waste time on every week.The "killer app" of IE 7 was the tabbed browsing so it was worth the beta risk in my mind.

After a few months of IE 7, beta 2, I was quite pleased. It is quite a stable piece of code, and really had no issues with it. My only concern was that perhaps the beta software had some poorly identified security hole. In late August, Microsoft graduated the software from beta, and now called it IE 7, release candidate (RC) 1. I figured I should download this, as it should be more secure. Thankfully, I only tried it on my notebook.

This has to be the buggiest browser I have ever used. Not only did it freeze on opening, but it froze the entire computer. we're talking the ALT-CTRL-DEL combo didn't shut it down! I finally had to use the "hard reset" procedure- this consisted of unplugging the laptop and pulling out the battery. While this is simple and effective, there is some small risk to the hard drive if it is spinning when this is executed so I wouldn't recommend it for anything other than a desperate and occasional situation. When I restarted the computer, I encountered the same situation deja vu. If I didn't open IE and used FireFox, all was fine.

Of course, I hadn't set a system restore point, who can ever remember to do that? Besides, this wasn't some "no name" software downloaded from some obscure programmer. My only solution was to uninstall IE 7, and reinstall version 6. As much as I love tabbed browsing, a crashing system is just not worth it to me. Once again, Microsoft is dropping the ball. IE 7, RC 1 is truly the worst browser I have ever used, and the worst software I have seen in a long time.

I expect a lot more from Microsoft at this stage of the game. If you choose to try it, consider yourself warned and don't be surprised when your system freezes big time.

--Jonas