Microsoft announced today that it will release Internet Explorer 7 (IE7) as a “high-priority” security update via Windows XP’s Automatic Updates as soon as the browser package is ready. The release of IE7 is planned for the fourth quarter of this year.
In June, Microsoft released Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) software through Automatic Updates, which created a stir because Microsoft did not give advance notice of the move. Industry observers asserted that WGA, the latest implementation of the company’s multifaceted antipiracy measures, didn’t belong in Automatic Updates because it doesn’t deal with a security issue for Windows users.
Internet Explorer 7 contains numerous security upgrades (for more information about IE7, see our Internet Explorer beta 3 coverage). Microsoft plans to recommend that all Windows customers install IE7, but the upgrade will be optional. Automatic Updates will notify users when IE7 is ready to install, displaying a welcome screen with the choices “Install,” “Don’t Install” and “Ask Me Later.”
For enterprises, Microsoft is already offering the free Internet Explorer 7 Blocker Toolkit, which adds a group policy and an executable script for blocking IE7 installation. The Blocker Toolkit does not expire. For more information about blocking IE7 installation from Automatic Updates, see the IE7 Blocker Toolkit FAQ.
More details about the release of IE7 via Automatic Updates is expected to be published on Microsoft’s IEBlog, which is written by IE7’s developers.
IE7 will support Windows XP SP 2 and x64, Windows Server 2003 and x64, and Windows Server 2003 ia64 for Itanium-based systems.
