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Although the major security update Windows XP Service Pack 2 greatly improved the level of security for a browser viewed by many as being plagued with vulnerabilities, that perception still has not diminished. Much of the success of the open source browser Firefox is due to the fact that it is seen as more 'secure' than Internet Explorer 6.x.

Although Microsoft claimed to be relaxed about Firefox, it can't have been happy that Internet Explorer's

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market share has been slipping month on month.

Speaking at the annual RSA security conference, Gates said that Internet Explorer 7.0 will add new levels of security to Windows XP SP2 while maintaining the level of extensibility and compatibility that customers have come to expect. Internet Explorer 7.0 - a slight dig at Firefox as many add-ins for the product had to be recoded as the beta approached the final version. Gates also promised that version 7.0 will also provide even stronger defences against phishing attacks, malicious software and spyware. He promised that the Windows beta release is scheduled to become available this summer.

Gates did not disclose whether any other features such as tabbed browsing would be included in version 7.0.

Bill Gates also announced that the final version AntiSpyware product currently in beta would be offered to users for free. He also revealed that over six million copies of the beta software had been downloaded since its introduction at the beginning of this year.