Yahoo releases customised IE 7 beta

The lines are being drawn in the search wars, with Yahoo and Microsoft squaring off against Firefox and Google.

Yahoo has launched a customised version of Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 beta 2 which has Yahoo search built into the browser.

The customised browser sets Yahoo.com as the default homepage on the primary tab, while Yahoo Mail automatically loads in the secondary tab. The Internet giant used Microsoft's Internet Explorer Administration Kit to customise IE 7, according to a Friday post on IEBlog.

Although Yahoo's customised browser presets the homepage and search to Yahoo properties, "users can easily change the settings, just as they can with the standard version that [Microsoft] ships", according to IEBlog.

Last month antitrust regulators investigating Windows Vista appeared satisfied with Microsoft's plans for the operating system, including IE 7's search box, which defaults to Microsoft's own MSN Search.

As part of its status report on Microsoft's antitrust compliance, the Justice Department said that it had reviewed the search box and concluded that Microsoft's implementation "respects users' and (computer makers') default choices and is easily changed".

Google last month claimed IE 7's default to MSN was anticompetitive. The search giant has a close working relationship with the Mozilla Foundation, whose Firefox browser competes directly with IE 7.

Tom Espiner reported for ZDNet UK.
CNET News.com's Ina Fried contributed to this report.