For the past few years Micro$oft has allowed its website browser, Internet Explorer, to slip by the wayside. However, the software giant has now announced that the first beta of Internet Explorer v7 should be with us this summer.

The main focus of the update, which will be accessible to users of WindowsXP SP2, is security. Microsoft is also considering making the update available to Win2000 users, although we wouldn't be surprised if they gave that idea up.

Unfortunately there's no word on whether MS intends to improve rendering speed or introduce additional features, such as the much loved 'tabbed-browsing' (well, I love it =]). Not doing so would hand their rivals an even greater market share.

If anything this shows that, despite their past rhetoric, MS is worried about Firefox and similar rivals. Sadly many fear that Microsoft will again fail to introduce the features and improvements that many consumers want to see; it’s not just about security.