So, Microsoft released the second beta of IE7 today, with some innovative new features like tabs. (Heh.)

Hey Microsoft! Here is a crazy idea for a developer feature! How about an IE7 that you can run along with older versions without resorting to hacks?

Or is that just crazy? Yes - I know I've blogged it before. (We older techies tend to repeat ourselves.) But it seems as if the entire concept of browser testing has been ignored by Microsoft ever since the "Great Integration" of IE some years ago. Yes - I get the idea that the web browser is part of the OS (look how well that turned out), but are you telling me it is impossible to create a build of IE that can run on its own?

It is not reasonable to expect a web developer to run Virtual PC just to test with IE 6 or 5. It's like buying a house to test a lamp.