One of the new features of Internet Explorer 7 that's likely to get a lot of attention is its tabbed browsing feature. Tabbed browsing isn't new, as other popular browsers like Firefox already support tabbed browsing. However, the incorporation of tabbed browsing into Internet Explorer 7 will finally introduce millions of IE users to the convenient feature.
Tabbed browsing is a feature that allows you to open more than one Web site in a single window. In Internet Explorer 6, you can open multiple Web sites at a time, but each site is opened in a separate window. As you open several Web pages, each page is given a separate button in the taskbar. You can configure Windows XP to group the buttons, but it still gets unmanagable quickly, and it's sometimes difficult to find a particular page that you have opened.
Tabbed browsing is different. In addition to opening pages in new windows, you can also open Web pages in new tabs. Right-clicking on a link and choosing the option to open the Web page in a new tab causes the Web page to open in a tab behind the current page. You can go on reading the current page, and when ready, click on the tab for the other page.
If you're at all like me, that may not sound like a big deal. Lately, though, I've become a tabbed browsing convert, and I've switched from Internet Explorer 6 to Firefox as a result. Whether you're trying to browse search results, compare prices online, or just finish reading one Web page while loading another linked from that page, tabbed browsing will save you time.
Internet Explorer 7's implementation of tabbed browsing conforms to the conventions in tabbed browsing, so it's an easy switch for Firefox users. When a page is opened in a new tab, it stays in the background until you click on it. You can switch between tabs by pressing CTRL + Tab and you can close tabs by clicking on the close button on the tab.
What is tabbed browsing?
Tabbed browsing is a feature that allows you to open more than one Web site in a single window. In Internet Explorer 6, you can open multiple Web sites at a time, but each site is opened in a separate window. As you open several Web pages, each page is given a separate button in the taskbar. You can configure Windows XP to group the buttons, but it still gets unmanagable quickly, and it's sometimes difficult to find a particular page that you have opened.
Tabbed browsing is different. In addition to opening pages in new windows, you can also open Web pages in new tabs. Right-clicking on a link and choosing the option to open the Web page in a new tab causes the Web page to open in a tab behind the current page. You can go on reading the current page, and when ready, click on the tab for the other page.
If you're at all like me, that may not sound like a big deal. Lately, though, I've become a tabbed browsing convert, and I've switched from Internet Explorer 6 to Firefox as a result. Whether you're trying to browse search results, compare prices online, or just finish reading one Web page while loading another linked from that page, tabbed browsing will save you time.
Internet Explorer 7's implementation of tabbed browsing conforms to the conventions in tabbed browsing, so it's an easy switch for Firefox users. When a page is opened in a new tab, it stays in the background until you click on it. You can switch between tabs by pressing CTRL + Tab and you can close tabs by clicking on the close button on the tab.
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