IE 7 Beta 2 - To Install it on my Production Machine or Not?

IE7 Beta 2 Preview Available.

"If you’re a developer, an IT Pro, or just plain interested, please visit http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/ie7/ to try the IE7 Beta 2 Preview.

What’s a beta preview? It’s a release for everyone involved in making the Internet work.

Before we release a consumer-focused beta, we want to make sure anyone with a website can look at the changes we’ve made to our layout engine and the stricter user experience around security certificates. Developers should try out their toolbars, ActiveX controls, and applications that host or rely on the IE platform. IT Pros have their own concerns when a new browser is coming, as do domain registrars (especially with the IDN support), network operators, and many, many other groups. The site has some checklists we’ve written to help people exercise IE7 with their sites and applications. If we missed items you think we should call out, please let us know. We’re looking forward to feedback that will help us deliver a great, consumer-focused beta.

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To install IE7B2 on my production machine or not… I do have some apps that I support that use and/or embed IE so it is important that I know how IE7 will effect them. But this is my production box…

Sometimes I feel it’s okay to play the beta game on this box, for example I installed the Google Toolbar 4 beta yesterday… But I live in IE. And in the past IE has been so tightly bound to the OS/Explorer/my online life/etc that I’m just not sure in this case.

I guess I’ve answered my own question. If I’m so unsure, I just can’t risk it. Yet. Though the post comments do ease my concern a little;
“If you uninstall IE7, you will revert to what you had installed before, which I presume is the version of IE6 in XP Service Pack 2 for most people.

- Al Billings [MSFT]”

I think I’ll let the dust settle and maybe give it a go in a VPC machine.

sigh…