Graham wrote:

Microsoft rolled out a test version of its upgraded Internet Explorer browser Tuesday, marking the biggest change to IE in more than half a decade and sending a message to competitors that the software giant isn’t ignoring the browser market.

In the latest version, the Redmond giant built in a search box, enhanced the browser’s security, and introduced new features like tabbed browsing, which allows users to better manage simultaneous surfing of a number of web sites.

From reading this and various other bits on the new IE7 browser, it sounds like it's finally catching up with what I would consider standard features in a web browser. It is still missing the one "hook" that would make me want to convert to it away from my current browser though - all the features in it are mainstream in almost all browsers these days so it would feel like a downgrade to move from my current browser to IE7.

It is certainly a huge leap forwards for Internet Explorer, but I'm not convinced it's enough of a leap to slow people down from converting away from it.

but good news for my best friend who is blind and has to use IE as it is the only browser his access software is compatible with