"Beta" versions of software is typically the initial or an upgraded version.

The authors hope it is bug and problem free but that is not always the case.

Case in point.

Microsoft is now testing a beta verision of their Internet Explorer (IE) browswer, version 7.0.

Works great mostly except for one fatal flaw which makes it unusable for me. When you try to print multiple listings from our MLS system, it runs them all together instead of printing them one listing to a page like IE 6.X does.

A little research revealed that this 'problem' is actually being called an advance by the guys at Microsoft:

 http://blogs.msdn.com/ie/archive/2005/07/31/445778.aspx

"Orphan Control: If IE discovers that you are printing a document that gets laid-out on two pages and the second page only covers minimal white-space, we automatically shrink-to-fit the page to fit on only 1 page of paper."

While I appreciate their efforts to improve their product; this 'improvement' does not do it for me and unless they come up with some fix or workaround I won't be using IE 7.0.

Too bad because I think it's pretty cool otherwise and has lots of features previous versions do not such as tabbed browsing which lets you open a new window from a tab in a former window and keep all the tabs in plain view at the top of your screen.

Maybe with a little more work IE 7.0 could be almost as good as Firefox 1.5 is right now. ;-)

Jim Lee , REALTOR®, Certified Residential Specialist (CRS)

http://JimLee.com  RE/MAX By The Bay

150 Mirona Road, Portsmouth, NH 03801 Phone: (603) 431-1111 x3801

Visit New Hampshire Maine Real Estate.com to search homes, get Seacoast area information, and find out how great living on the New Hampshire and southern Maine Seacoast really is.

 

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7 Comments on Beta software; handle at your own risk

SEP
17
2006
153,251 Points 21 Featured Posts Localism Sponsor

Hi Jim,

Thanks for the post! I'm a strong believer in Firefox and I will stick to it...I think it is a much better program :)

Scott
12:18pm • #1
1 Featured Post

I did read the posting on the MLS to avoid this new version. The premise sounds great. How many times have you printed something and the second page only has one word and the header and footer. Putting that all on one page with a tiny bit of compression sounds great. Think of all the ink you would save over a year not to say paper.
12:21pm • #2
495,816 Points 60 Featured Posts Localism Sponsor Hit Router Attended Rain Camp

I found that flaw a couple of weeks ago and brought it to our MLS firm's attention. They're supposed to be working on a solution but I'm not sure there is one since that's the way the program is designed to operate. 

The  problem it causes with our MLS Pam is that if you're printing say, 4 listings, they print on 3 pieces of paper and it's hard to tell where one stops and the following listing begins.

I want my listing printouts to each have their own sheet of paper.  I'm more concerned with usability than a few dollars worth of ink and paper.

Take a look around Crossville sometime; does it look like we're running short on trees in Tennessee??? ;-)

All the big paper companies have tree farms to more than replace the trees they use making paper as does the lumber industry.

As a really smart and progressive forester once said: "The best way to get trees grown is to develop profitable reasons for cutting them down."
12:47pm • #3
131,041 Points 21 Featured Posts

There are other issues with IE7, some links won't work either... particularly some from  my.yahoo

I have always preffered the tabbed browsing implementation in the Maxthon browser IE add on.
1:16pm • #4
283,438 Points 6 Featured Posts Outside Blog
Not really familiar with IE7 beta, usually wait til the kinks are worked out and then will give it the update.
1:47pm • #5
158,851 Points 41 Featured Posts Outside Blog
What seems to be the worst part of this to me is that Microsoft doesn't think there's a problem. I thought Gates and Company were vying to get into our industry via a transaction platform. Is that dead? So they're now trying to annoy us with sloppy code?
7:52pm • #6
294,780 Points 11 Featured Posts Outside Blog Attended Rain Camp

Jim

Microsoft is Testing the  Vista OS too, hope that it will be released for January 07

Homes for sale in Colorado Metro Denver Area

Ray Saenz Real Estate Agent & ActiveRain  Network User 
9:11pm • #7


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Jim Lee, Portsmouth NH Realtor Portsmouth, Jewel of the NH Seacoast

Portsmouth, NH

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RE/MAX By The Bay

Address: ATTN: Jim Lee , 150 Mirona Road, Portsmouth, NH, 03801

Office Phone: (603) 431-1111 x 3801

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