IE7 later this year?

Until quite recently, Microsoft have been saying that their next web browser release would only happen as part of the next version of Windows (AKA Longhorn). This has been driving many web developers up the wall, as IE is now the worst of the major browsers in terms of standards support.

Well, they've changed their tune (not at all due to a. n. other web browser gaining users rapidly, no-sirree, Bob). From their press release:

[Bill] Gates announced Internet Explorer 7.0, designed to 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 will also provide even stronger defenses against phishing, malicious software and spyware. The beta release is scheduled to be available this summer.

Comments from the dev team here.

It'll be XPSP2-only (so those still on Win2K are stuffed) and given MS's typical release schedules, "beta in the Summer" probably means a final release in September, at the earliest. The reasons given are all security, security, security, which is a good thing, but... there's no mention of any changes in page rendering at all. Almost to the level of it being subject-non-grata. Which worries me a little.

[via adot's notblog*, which also has a bunch of links to other comments on the subject]

Anybody know much about Poland?

[This is going to sound rather cryptic and more than a little odd, but I want to keep it vague to avoid unintentionally influencing peoples' answers]

Have there been any events which could have affected the behaviour of a large fraction of the people of Poland between mid December 2004 and early February 2005?

The obvious one is Christmas/New Year, but that wouldn't extend into late January. (When do Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas? But Poland is apparently mostly Catholic, so that's probably not relevant anyhow)

Any national holidays in that period? Entire population spending 8 hours a day glued to the television watching the domestic version of Big Brother 42? Invaded by Flying Saucer People? Anything?

[If anyone reading this knows anyone living in Poland, I'd appreciate their input]