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IE7 upgrade may cause problems for web developers

According to Microsoft’s IE Blog, the new version of the Internet Explorer browser will be ready this month, and some web developers are concerned about the new version’s compatibility with some websites.

=> IE7 links

IE7 will be available for download this month, with the new browser being delivered to Microsoft customers via automatic updates soon after.

The new version of IE7 contains many new features, including tabbed browsing, built-in RSS feeds, and security tools which should alert users to phishing websites.

However, many new security features, including one to prevent the browser from installing software or changing computer settings without the user’s consent, will not be available to XP users.

Some web developers are concerned that IE7 may cause problems on some websites, with UK web application testing experts at SciVisum expressing concern.

SciVisum CEO Deri Jones believes that IE7 may cause major problems:

As it looks like Microsoft have decided to push the upgrade to IE7 out through windows update within weeks of IE7’s release, this means that zillions of users are going to be upgraded without them really being aware, and the volume of calls to corporate help desks and home-user ISPs is likely to be a nightmare. Plus the pressure will really be on web developers to sort things out “right now”. Microsoft’s failure to implement a mode in IE7 that makes it display a page as if it was IE6 could be short sighted.

This option would give web developers the ability to decide themselves when they’re ready for IE7. If a site needs a bit of tidy up to fall in line with IE7, then it just may not be convenient for a business to address that immediately, rather than incorporate it into existing work schedules.

Indeed, as others have commented, it can be considered arrogant of Microsoft to expect the internet to change and fall in line with their software and not the other way around - an error in judgment that could come back to haunt them! Particularly as news of IE7’s release could pre-empt many “slow adopters” finally making the move to Firefox. Indeed as users can’t run both IE6 and IE7 on the same PC, if you hit a site that fails using IE7 it could well prove to be the only option.

According to onestat.com, Microsoft Internet Explorer is used by 85.85% of the world’s computers, with Mozilla Firefox taking 11.49% of global usage share, though other organisations believe that IE's global share is declining.

It will be interesting to see how this upgrade will affect Microsoft’s market share in its ongoing competition with Firefox.

IE7 Links:

• The Register: IE coming: ready or not
• ZDnet: IE7 RC1 vs. Firefox2 RC1
• informationweek.com: IE7 May Impact E-Tailers’ Sales
• cmswire.com: MS have provided (rather impractical sounding) instructions for blocking the automatic install of Internet Explorer 7
• PCPro: 200 changes to Internet Explorer 7 as it struggles to meet CSS standards.

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About SciVisum

SciVisum is a UK based web site testing specialist, helping clients to reduce lost sales online by identifying where and when user experience suffers.

The services provide vital data not available by web-analytics or other web monitoring:

* when invisible errors impact users but are invisible to the in-house teams
* when wrong or missing page content forces users to abandon their purchase journeys
* what % of marketing campaign traffic is lost due to under-capacity in one or more vital steps such as 'add to basket' or 'checkout' pages.

The company's services measure the performance and functionality of client's business-critical on-line systems. Using the multi-page User Journeys approach to measurement, SciVisum's metrics provide real time KPIs and act as a common language between the business and marketing teams who work daily with journey concepts of Add-to-Basket, Checkout, Register, pay-online, login and etc; and the web technical teams who need precise input as to which step of which journey is under-performing, when and how, in order for them to most effectively apply technical resources to close the problem gaps.

Through SciVisum's testing and recommendations, clients are able to substantially increase visitor rates and customer satisfaction levels by achieving gains in key journey delivery times, increasing ability to handle peak load levels, and reducing sporadic but user-numbing error rates of 1 to 5% that most sites un-wittingly force on their users.

Clients come from a wide range of sectors and include Cameron McKenna, Boden, T-Mobile, Shell, British Library, Hertfordshire Council, Scottish & Southern Energy, The Stationery Office, National Savings and Investment Bank and uSwitch.

Test deliverables include: Load testing /Stress testing: SV-Load; 24/7 functional monitoring of complex multi-page User Journeys: SV-Monitor; Accessibility testing to the WAI guidelines: SV-Access; Functionality & troubleshooting audits and consultancy: SV-Function.