MSIE 7 Will Arrive As “High Priority” Update

Rob Updegrove 27 Jul, 2006 at 9:20am ET Article published in Tech

CNET reports that Microsoft will be delivering Internet Explorer 7 as a high priority update through Windows Update. Microsoft justifies the move as a security measure, but the update will be a [i]mandatory[/i] security measure, leading some to question whether or not this delivery method is really in the customers’ best interest. Luckily, Microsoft is also providing a tool to block automatic delivery, for those who are still shaken by the havoc SP2’s mandatory rollout played on their corporate systems.

Microsoft recommends that all Windows users install the new browser when it ships, he added.

IE 7 will be the first major update to Microsoft’s ubiquitous Web browser in five years. Security was the No. 1 investment for the update, Microsoft has said. Critics have likened predecessor IE 6 to “Swiss cheese” because of the many security vulnerabilities in it. A third and final beta of IE 7 was released late last month.

Source: CNET

Comments

27 Jul 2006 ~ 10:09am Cyclonite Wow. Thanks for this post. We use a piece of junk accounting application that barely works with IE6. They sent out a bulletin a while back saying that they don't currently support IE7. God knows when they will. We'll have to block the IE7 install until they get the application working with it.
27 Jul 2006 ~ 10:31am profdlp It's been my experience with Microsoft's major security updates that the most apparent effect of them to the end-user is that they usually just limit funcionality. If people are at risk from doing X, Y, and Z - don't let them do X, Y, and Z! If these remedies for the holes in the Swiss cheese affect other parts of the Windows OS it's conceivable that other browsers could be affected as well. This could get interesting.
27 Jul 2006 ~ 10:46am Armo man my company is in the midst of enterprise wide XP SP2 roll out and its a complete and total nightmare.

the biggest problem is Winsrv errors, and its faster to get the user up adn running with a new machine that it is to fix the problem with Winsrv,

our trouble ticket numbers are up ~ 800% and the request for new machines ( which comes from me ) is ~ 400% more than normal. and after SP2 we get about 6 more projects at the same time including office 2k3, enterprise refresh, and switching from using Domino to a in house home brew WO system.

WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
27 Jul 2006 ~ 12:42pm Linc

GHoosdum wrote:

the update will be a mandatory security measure

Well.. I don't know if that's completely accurate. You do get to choose whether to install it.

//edit: I liked this article as well:

BetaNews wrote:

"We want to be transparent," he said. He explained that if a feature would significant enhance security of Windows, it is automatically delivered without interaction from the user. "If it significantly changes the user experience or feature set, we will always prompt," he added. In this case, IE7 falls into the latter category.

http://www.betanews.com/article/Microsoft_IE7_a_HighPriority_Update/1153932798
27 Jul 2006 ~ 12:46pm GHoosdum

General Keebler wrote:

Well.. I don't know if that's completely accurate. You do get to choose whether to install it.

Of course I had to misread that part of the article. Go me.
27 Jul 2006 ~ 1:12pm Cyclonite Unfortunately, due to our CFO knowing very little about technology and the ways of security and yet wanting to control almost every aspect of our technology deployment, we have to give everyone local administrator rights on the machines. Being able to block this will be helpful in deterring those who choose to install software without verifying with the IS department first. Those that do install it will get a very nice "I told you so" email. Teehee.

Honestly, I'd love to deploy IE7, but because of the junky software that, again, the CFO decided to use, we're stuck with IE6 for probably a good while. There's been an update for IE6 available for a few months that completely throws off this same application. We have yet to receive a fix for that. :bawling:

I work for a good company. If the CFO would just let go of a few of the reigns, it would be even better and he'd save so much more money. Sorry for the complaining. Heh.
27 Jul 2006 ~ 2:35pm airbornflght

Cyclonite wrote:

Unfortunately, due to our CFO knowing very little about technology and the ways of security and yet wanting to control almost every aspect of our technology deployment, we have to give everyone local administrator rights on the machines. Being able to block this will be helpful in deterring those who choose to install software without verifying with the IS department first. Those that do install it will get a very nice "I told you so" email. Teehee.

Honestly, I'd love to deploy IE7, but because of the junky software that, again, the CFO decided to use, we're stuck with IE6 for probably a good while. There's been an update for IE6 available for a few months that completely throws off this same application. We have yet to receive a fix for that. :bawling:

I work for a good company. If the CFO would just let go of a few of the reigns, it would be even better and he'd save so much more money. Sorry for the complaining. Heh.

Why is the Chief Financial Officer in charge of Technology, sounds like that dude needs to back down a little bit. Giving users local admin rights is just plain stupid unless their job is installing software.
27 Jul 2006 ~ 3:19pm Cyclonite You're not telling me anything new.
27 Jul 2006 ~ 4:26pm airbornflght Maybe your CFO will read this.
27 Jul 2006 ~ 5:26pm Armo how big is your user base? i work in about 25,000 users. so when we have a problem, its HUGE like everyone having local admin rights.
27 Jul 2006 ~ 5:46pm Cyclonite Luckily we're only about 200 users.