• IE7 Rollout to Windows XP SP2 Users: Windows XP SP2 users with Auto Update on will soon have their Internet Explorer 6 upgraded to IE7. Microsoft started rolling it out last week via Automatic Update, sending about 1 million copies per day. At the current rate, it will continue through January, targeting 1 percent of genuine English-language Windows installations per day. They are moving slowly to manage for IT admins and prevent tech support staff from being overwhelmed.
• Labeling and Distribution: Microsoft is labeling IE7 as a high-priority update and distributing it via Windows Automatic Update. Currently, it's for English-language installations only, but starting on November 15, it will be released via auto update to German, French, Spanish, and a few other languages. January 1 will see Italian, Dutch, and Russian updates, and later in January comes Turkish, Portuguese, Czech, and Hungarian. Last up will be Japanese, Korean, and Chinese (simplified and traditional) in the second quarter of 2007.
• Priority of Updates: While IE7 is being rolled out, Microsoft will prioritize security updates over the IE7 rollout. Gary Schare, a director of product management on the IE team, said they keep the IE throttle low so that when security updates come out, they still have priority.
• IE7 Features and Download: Announced in February 2005 and finally shipped last month, IE7 has tabbed browsing, an antiphishing feature, improved CSS support, and user interface improvements. Users of Windows XP SP2 and Windows Server 2003 can download IE7 directly if they don't want to wait for Automatic Update. If friends and family are using IE6, encourage them to upgrade or switch to Firefox. IT admins can block IE7 with the Windows Internet Explorer 7 Blocker Toolkit if their company isn't ready to switch to IE6.