IE7 Is Coming This Month...Are you Ready?
The final release of IE7 is fast approaching ... and I mean really fast ... and will be delivered to customers via Automatic Updates a few weeks after it's available for download. We want to ensure that you are ready and the information below will help get you there.
Context & Ripple Effects
Microsoft had already moved IE7 through a Beta 3 preparation cycle and had identified feed discovery as part of the browser's feature set. The important change is distribution: a download release will be followed weeks later by delivery through Automatic Updates, turning readiness from an enthusiast concern into an enterprise and support issue.
First-order effects
- Microsoft customers get an initial download window to test IE7 before Automatic Updates broadens deployment a few weeks later.
- Organizations supporting Windows PCs need to assess IE7 compatibility and user support ahead of the Automatic Updates phase.
Second-order effects
- Web publishers and software vendors face a more concentrated compatibility target as Microsoft moves IE7 from voluntary download to default update distribution.
- IT departments that need to control browser change must use the interval before automatic delivery to validate internal sites and applications.
Third-order effects
- The rollout points to browser competition being shaped not only by features such as feed discovery, but by the operating system vendor's ability to distribute upgrades through its update channel.
The trend: Browser releases are becoming operating-system distribution events, making update-channel control a central lever in how quickly new web standards and browser behaviors reach users.