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Firefox 2.0 vs. IE7 in Vista: How Close?
Tuesday, October 31st, 2006
PERSPECTIVE With Microsoft not having launched a new Web browser since 2001, nor a new 
service pack since August 2004, Internet Explorer arguably had the longest road to travel to be ready for Windows Vista. Firefox, on the other hand, has had much more frequent point releases, with version 1.5 made available in November 2005.
But users have been anticipating major new releases for both brands in time for Vista. IE7, which entered beta in July of last year, struck first, surprising many with a bold and distinct new approach to arranging functionality. The new Microsoft browser would be as different from IE6 as Nissan’s 350Z is from the 300ZX.
Under the hood, IE was set to change as well, with Microsoft forced to base its new engine upon a different intellectual property base than the ages-old Spyglass Mosaic code. So among those who chose Firefox as a more functional, secure, and adaptable alternative to IE6 in Windows, Microsoft may have helped raise expectations that the Mozilla Organization could deliver something similarly as sweeping.
Whatever Firefox 2.0 is, it isn’t "sweeping," and nowhere does that fact become more evident than in a Windows Vista test environment. If you ask Mozilla — and we have — FF2’s principal changes from version 1.5 are these: 1) a cleaned up, well-tweaked user environment; 2) a new integrated spell checker; 3) cleaner handling of RSS feeds, which is one of Firefox’ hallmarks; 4) a Session Restore feature, which brings the browser back to the point where it last left off, especially after a crash; and 5) a tab bar that no longer gets cluttered. Firefox first delivered the tab bar, and it’s taken IE this long to finally, officially respond. BetaNews | Firefox 2.0 vs. IE7 in Vista: How Close?
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