Internet Explorer 7 will not be available for Windows 2000

Internet Explorer 7 will not be available for Windows 2000

The evolution of the browsers in the open source community in the form of Firefox led to the eroding of the market share of the Internet Explorer browser for the first time in many years. So much so, that it made Microsoft sit up and take notice that they would have to update their browser to stand any where in the coming times.

Bill Gates announced sometime back that the company has decided to release the next version of the Internet Explorer browser for the current generation Operating Systems from the company. While, it is confirmed that a beta of the Internet Explorer 7 for the Windows XP SP2 Edition is scheduled to arrive in beta form sometime next month, there were some doubts on whether the company would make it available for the Windows 2000 platform.

The latest news in however confirms that it is door closed for the Win2k Operating System. the company has reported that the browser requires the latest security changes added to the Operating System only in the service pack 2 of the Windows XP. This makes it next to impossible to make a version for the older generation Operating System.

Moreover, the OS is moving into “Extended” support phase of Microsoft’s product lifecycle as of June 30, 2005. this further makes it less attractive for the company to develop the IE 7 version for Windows 2000. Some critics slammed the company for taking such steps to force the consumers to upgrade to their latest Operating Systems to get a secure working environment. Especially, when secure browsers are already available in the market for the oldest of platforms and even alternative Operating Systems from Mozilla Foundation and Opera Software ASA.

Perhaps, this is just another one of the outcomes of the decision Microsoft took years ago to integrate the browser deeply into the Operating System.