Microsoft Releases IE Developer Toolbar

After over a year and a half of beta testing, Microsoft on Thursday made available the final version of its Developer Toolbar for Internet Explorer 6 and 7. The add-on enables users to analyze the code of a Web page by color coding the HTML source, matching CSS selectors to page elements, and even offering a pixel ruler.

While the 1.0 release offers no new functionality over Beta 3, Microsoft says it has improved reliability and the fit-and-finish of the toolbar. "This tool is a direct response to your requests for free web developer tools and we hope you enjoy it. However, we see this as only the first response to your requests not only for tools, but for making development for IE easier," wrote IE program manger John Hrvatin on the IEBlog. Similar toolbars are available for Firefox.