The death of IE6 and the promise of Windows 7

Windows 7's new interface

From the ashes of Internet Explorer 6 and hopefully, Vista, Microsoft is beginning to rise again.

This past couple of months have been a great time for Microsoft. First, there is the soon to be released Windows 7 which is generating very positive reviews not only with MS users but even with the ever so discriminating Mac users (like myself). Yes, there are still apprehensions - eternal issues that MS copied from Apple - a bloated architecture - the dreadful BSOD - numerous versions which makes sense only to MS.

BUT regardless of all these, nobody can deny that for the first time in a long time, Microsoft is likely doing something right. The company which we seemingly love to watch failing and disappointing us, is finally straightening out its glitches, at least with their soon to be flagship operating system.

Windows 7, even in beta, is reportedly very stable and fast (though i still need to do an actual test run on my Macbook via Bootcamp, it's now nearing RC status, allegedly). Unlike the much maligned Vista which was, in consensus, made haphazardly, Windows 7 is robust and easier to use. Apparently, Microsoft has been listening and rightly so. They ought to have learned a lot from Vista albeit learning it the hard way.

Windows 7 definitely takes it cue from Vista - harnessing Vista's strength and eliminating its weaknesses while pimping its interface further which I might add is rather conspicuously beautiful. The result is an operating system that is currently being touted as innovative and could probably be one of Microsoft's best OS offering.

Quoting from Preston Gralla of ComputerWorld: Overall, Windows 7 is a more functional, more efficiently designed operating system than Windows Vista, with far more attention paid to the user experience. From revamped a User Account Control (UAC) feature to better home networking, improved search and nice interface tweaks, the entire operating system has gotten an overall polishing.

Internet Explorer 8 Interface

Then just last Friday, MS announced that finally, after years of brouhaha, Internet Explorer 6 will soon finally come to an end. By May, the new and more efficient Internet Explorer 8 will be distributed to users either via Windows Automatic Update or by simply downloading from the MS website.

Starting on or about the third week of April, users still running IE6 or IE7 on Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2003, or Windows Server 2008 will get will get a notification through Automatic Update about IE8. This rollout will start with a narrow audience and expand over time to the entire user base. On Windows XP and Server 2003, the update will be High-Priority. On Windows Vista and Server 2008 it will be Important.

This news has been long-time coming especially to the web designers/developers who were constantly hampered by IE6's poor HTML and CSS rendering capabilities. I have tested the early betas of the new Internet Explorer 8 over at my PC and i must say that it is easier to use and responsive though not as fast as my favorite Google Chrome (whose Mac version I am eagerly awaiting, but that's another story).

With these updates and most likely achievements, I am positive that Microsoft is finally pulling and pushing through. Is this the sign of Microsoft's second coming?

For a run-down of what's new in Windows 7, please visit Gizmondo. For those delicious screenshots which we can't seem to get enough of, visit Paul Thurott's review. Internet Explorer 8 screenshots are at ZDNet.