Microsoft launched the public release of its next version browser – IE7 – but maybe you knew that already as Windows automatic updates probably instructed you to download it.

IE7 is a pretty major step forward for some (mostly people who weren’t already using Firefox) but a potentially major step backwards for others (most web designers who had implemented hacks to get IE6 to display their pages correctly.)

I am a Firefox user but I still downloaded IE7 because it allows me to see web pages the way 87.3% of the world sees them. Until there are standards for browsers, using several browsers at once makes sense.

The biggest upgrade Microsoft made in IE7 is something called “tabbed” browsing – meaning you can open several web pages at once and have them show up as tabs in your browser window. Welcome to the 21st century.

This will also be many people’s introduction to Microsoft’s new search tool Live.com as installation of IE7 will automatically make it the start-up page for millions of people