Internet Explorer 7 Changes From Internet Explorer 6

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Internet Explorer is no longer integrated with the Windows Explorer shell for a better security. Local files typed in IE7 are opened using the Windows Explorer shell and Web sites typed in Windows Explorer shell are opened using IE7.

Version 7 supports tabbed browsing, which has been a popular feature in competing web browsers for some time. In addition to this, there is a feature called "Quick Tabs", which displays a thumbnail preview of opened tabs, treating tabs like Expose treats application windows. With this new feature, user can find, open, close, and refresh opened tabs easily.

International Domain Names (IDN) support with anti-spoofing technology.

A search box has been added to the top-right corner, to do fast searches using a search engine. MSN Search is the default, but additional providers may be added (Google, Altavista, Yahoo!, etc). Microsoft provides a list of common providers, but any web site can identify itself as having a search capability.

Long-awaited support for per-pixel alpha channel transparency in PNG images has been added.

Feed reader integration in Web feeds support is built in version 7.0. The feed reader is fully integrated with the browser, so that user can read web feeds (RSS or Atom) without an RSS reader. It also discovers web feeds automatically. Updates to web feeds can be retrieved when the web browser isn't running. The web feeds feature set is also available to third-party developers through API's, so that the list of subscribed feeds (as well as their current contents) can be used.

ActiveX Opt-In blocks ActiveX Control unless it allowed to be installed. This feature improves security from unverificable and vulnerable controls. ActiveX controls can be chosen to be installed on Information Bar. User can turn on and off ActiveX Contol by using Add-on Manager.

A number of improvements to CSS, DOM and HTML support have been made. Microsoft's stated goal with version 7 was to fix the most significant "bugs" and areas which caused the most trouble for developers, and then improved coverage of the standards would come later.

The well-known problem of having the right-hand portion of a web page cut off when the page is printed has been fixed. Page content can also be "shrunk" to fit more text on a single page. The revamped "Print Preview" interface will also let users drag the page margins around and see the results immediately.

A "Zoom" selector has been added to the bottom-right corner of the user interface. Unlike the "Text size" feature, this will zoom the complete contents of the web page, allowing for easier reading on larger displays. Fonts are rendered at higher resolution.

ClearType can be enabled or disabled separately from the rest of the operating system.

The new "Phishing Filter" offers protection against phishing scams and other web sites that may be considered dangerous for a user to enter their personal information into. When enabled, every web site the user visits is checked against a master list of known phishing sites. If a site is listed, the user is informed. In light of the privacy implications of this feature, it is not enabled automatically; the user is asked when they start Internet Explorer 7 if they want it enabled. Microsoft is working in conjunction with companies that specialize in identifying phishing schemes to ensure the list of known sites is accurate and quickly updated.

Address Bar and status bar appear in all windows including Pop-Up which helps to block malicious sites from disguising them as trusted sites. Also the address bar features a color code to visually indicate the trustworthiness of the page. The Address Bar turns red when a page, with invalid security certificate, is accessed. In case of sites not using any encryption, the address bar is white. And if the page uses high security certificate, the bar turns green. Modal windows such as dialog boxes are shown only when it's selected the tab that has generated it (the tab colour becomes orange).

Unique dynamic Go/Refresh button. When you type an URL into the address bar the button changes from Refresh to Go and when you press Go (or keyboard Enter) the button changes from Go to Refresh. In this way the space taken by the toolbars is optimized and you have more space for the web pages.

Fix My Settings checks at startup or when a setting is changed, if the current settings are unsafe and notify to the user. The user can also press a button in order to fix the settings to a safe state.

Old protocols and technologies removed: Gopher, Telnet, the Channels (CDF), Scriptlets, DirectAnimation, XBM, etc.