Elements of Microsoft's next-generation Web browsing software have been posted on a Windows-related blog site, including screen shots of what the application may look like and a link to some of its code.

While the links to the build code for what appears to be a beta version of Internet Explorer 7 have since been yanked off the JCXP.net Windows forum, the site is still showing off roughly 14 screen shots of the browser.

The person who originally posted the links and photos to the site has since removed the ability for users to click through to the code sample, reportedly at Microsoft's request. However, JCXP.net indicated that before removing the code it was downloaded as many as 12,000 times.

Click here to read about IE 7's security features.

Microsoft officials said the company is strongly encouraging users to wait until it unveils a pre-release version of IE 7 for Windows XP sometime during the first quarter of this year, rather than working with the unsupported code that was posted on JCXP.net.

Editor's Note: This story was updated to include comments from Microsoft.

Read the full story on eWEEK.com: IE 7 Code Revealed Online

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