When I first started using Firefox IE had a horrible reputation for viruses, popups, and lousy security. IE 7 better then 9? I believe it. There is a trend with microsoft actually getting worse. Vista was worse then Xp, and windows 7 was worse then vista. They got rid of the starfield screensaver, then the aurora one. If I wanted mystify I'd buy a mac. Windows media player started to suck after 9, though 11 is usable, I will not use 12, that was the straw that broke the camels back. Vista's windows movie maker is good, the one on 7 is horrible. It lost many of it's features and when I use split it messes up the track and pauses for several seconds.
The worst part is that many programs and games can't be run on Vista, and even less of them work on Windows 7. This too is backwards compared to what a computer is supposed to be. Compatibility should be increasing, not decreasing. I can't count the number of times I have installed some program only to find out I can't use it. Windows hit it's peak at Millenium edition, actually. After that, all customization went out the window. Just like youtubes new design is part of a downward trend aimed at conformity and dehuminization. So I wouldn't be surprised if newer editions are even worse. An insane price just to jack up computer prices and make things worse. Whatever windows 7 actually made better, after years of having Vista, Xp, and 7, I've yet to see any benefits. I can honestly say there is nothing I like about 7 compared to Vista.