With Internet Explorer 8 and Firefox 3.0 in sight, Microsoft is preparing to initiate the final push for Internet Explorer 7. IE7 RTM'd at the end of 2006, just a few weeks ahead of Firefox 2.0. In October 2006, Microsoft dropped the final version of IE7 for Windows XP SP2 and Windows Server 2003. Internet Explorer 7 is also included into Windows Vista as a default component. Immediately after the release, the Redmond company debuted the distribution of IE7 via Automatic Updates, serving browser upgrades to all users of the obsolete Internet Explorer 6 on XP SP2 and Windows Server 2003.

Today, February 12, 2008, Microsoft is gearing up for the final push of IE7. The browser will be served as an Update Rollup package via Windows Server Update Services. The IE7 Installation and Availability update is addressed at businesses running IE6 on top of XP SP2 and Windows Server 2003. Windows Vista is in no way impacted, as it ships by default with IE7. The IE7 update is designed to integrate automatically only to clients of WSUS severs that have set up to auto-approve update rollups. This is, of course, not the default configuration of WSUS.

"On February 12, 2008 Microsoft will release the Windows Internet Explorer 7 Installation and Availability update to Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) marked as an Update Rollup package. Windows Internet Explorer 7 Installation and Availability Update is a complete installation package that will upgrade machines running Internet Explorer 6 to Windows Internet Explorer 7," Microsoft revealed in KB946202, where the company is also providing comprehensive guidance to manage the update rollup of IE7.

This week , Mozilla plans to release the third Beta of Firefox 3.0, and has informed that plans exist for a fourth Beta of the open source browser. On top of this, Microsoft has confirmed that it will showcase the new features of Internet Explorer 8 early next month, at MIX08.