I am downloading the new Internet Explorer 7, beta 2 to see if the most widely used browser actually meets the W3C specs.

After seeing the huge animation window and finally finding the embedded “Download” button, you are presented with the three steps necessary to install IE7 (please pardon the all caps - it’s what the page used)

1. ADD THIS PAGE TO YOUR FAVORITES
2. DOWNLOAD THE BETA 2 PREVIEW
3. SEND US YOUR FEEDBACK

Internet Explorer 7 Beta 2 Preview support will not be available from Microsoft.

Why, pray tell, do I need to add the beta download page to my “Favorites” (presuming that I’m currently using IE, which I’m not) in order to download the IE7 beta? This smacks of the many sites that have confirmation dialogs, and big buttons that say “Bookmark this site!!!!!!” - usually accompanied by lots of <blink> tags.

You can read more directly at the IEBlog

Update: more goodness. Any other application allows you to “customize” your install by choosing components, and most importantly for me, installation location. I setup my directories to be more understandable and usable (e.g. no spaces, since Windows changes how/if it supports spaces in directories). Alas, IE7 just barrels through and install what it wants, where it wants. This all occurs after, of course, a “Gen-u-wine Windows” check.

And bewarned, after you install IE7, it wants you to restart your computer. How absurd is it that a web browser requires you to reboot your Operating system?

Very.

No doubt this is due to Microsoft sharing dynamic libraries which are in-use by the operating system. I thought they lost that kind of battle in like… legal courts. Hrm.