Microsoft has abandoned plans to rename its Internet Explorer 7 browser for Windows Vista.

The software developer initially planned to refer to the Windows Vista version as Internet Explorer 7+. The plus was intended to indicate additional features, such as the "protected mode", that are platform specific.

The Windows Vista version of the forthcoming browser uses the operating system's new security features such as User Account Control, Mandatory Integrity Control and User Interface Privilege Isolation.

The new technologies are designed to mitigate the effects of security vulnerabilities by limiting the privileges of applications and will not be available to Windows XP users.

The naming decision was based on user feedback, Microsoft group program manager Tony Chor said on Microsoft's IEBlog.

"The feedback we got on the blog was overwhelming – many of you didn’t like it," Chor conceded.

The official names for the applications moving forward will be Windows Internet Explorer 7 for Windows XP and Windows Internet Explorer 7 in Windows Vista.