IE7 leaked, but Firefox continues to gain

IE7 leaked, but Firefox continues to gain

Several Windows-related sites were displaying screenshots and the codes for Microsoft's Internet Explorer 7, which is currently in limited beta. IE 7 is slated to go into beta 2 sometime soon, but if these sites are to be believed, it is already available as a download in a .rar format.

On JCXP.net, IE 7 is available as an 11 MB file. And on ActivWin.com, users can checkout the screenshots of new features on the IE including a Firefox-style tabbed browsing. Redmond's earlier Beta 1 did not find favor with developers and users alike and the software giant is hoping that Beta 2 and the new features that it boasts of can attract users, who are increasingly being drawn towards the free Open-source browser Firefox.

Mozilla's browser is fast gaining popularity and several advocates including those in the media are urging users to shift to Firefox. The main issue on which the browser scores over IE is the relatively tight security as well as a host of features that make browsing an enjoyable experience. The tabbed browsing feature has many followers and is a neat way of surfing the web without having to resort to alt and tab buttons each time.

Internet Explorer's fallacy as far as the security is concerned, is linked to the ActiveX controls employed by it. Though these controls enhance the browsing experience, they also invite nefarious elements like malware writers to hide their creations in it. Firefox on the other hand does not support these ActiveX controls and since it is Open-source any flaw is quickly fixed by thousands of developers.

Recent reports have pointed to the fact that Firefox has gained about 20 percent market share in Europe, according to French Web metrics company XiTi. The report added that Finland had the highest number of Firefox users followed by Slovenia and Germany.