Internet Explorer 9 Released

The latest version of Internet Explorer was released on 3/14/11.  Version 9 is more secure, faster and sports an updated user interface.  On the technical side, it supports HTML5 very well.  The new user interface is much slimmer than previous versions allowing for more viewing area.  It takes advantage of hardware acceleration which allows for a very fast browsing experience.  Expect some pretty neat stuff when web developers start taking advantage of IE9’s display capabilities.  The address and search bar are now combined in the One Box.  It takes a little getting used to, but quickly feels like the right way to work. 

IE9 is tightly integrated with Windows 7.  It also runs in Windows Vista but not Windows XP.  Websites can be pinned to the taskbar and/or start menu in Windows 7.  IE9 also allows users to protect themselves from marketing tracking that occurs on many if not most websites.  You can manually block tracking on specific websites or utilize predefined lists that are provided by several Microsoft partners. 

IE9 is much more standards compliant than previous versions of IE.  While not perfect, it really does work much better on more sites than in the past.  It’s adherence to HTML5 specs will insure that this is true moving forward as well.

I have been using IE9 for about 8 months.  Other than the typical “beta issues” that comes with running beta software, it has been pretty good.  By the time the Release Candidate was available, IE9 was pretty solid.   Now that the final product has been released, it’s certainly worthy of replacing your existing browser.  As with all new software, we do suggest taking some time to test IE9 in your specific environment to insure that your critical websites work properly before you roll it out to your devices.  It’s a solid product.  It will make browsing the internet safer, faster and much more enjoyable.

Internet Explorer 8 Released

Microsoft released Internet Explorer 8 on Thursday 3/19/09. IE8 is the latest version of Microsoft's browser. It brings more security and several more features to the Internet browsing experience. A new, smarter address bar allows searches to be done right from the address bar. At the same time, the address bar will present search suggestions that can enhance the Internet Search process.

A new function called Accelerators is included. This features allows you to highlight text in any website and perform web based functions using that information automatically. For instance, you could highlight a street address and instantly go to a mapping site which will present the directions to that address.

Another new feature is Web Slices. Web Slices are a way to stay up to date with a small piece of a website. For instance, if you wanted to keep an eye on the weather in your area, you can install the Web Slice from the weather site and it will install a little button in your IE Toolbar. Any time the weather info changes the little button will light up and you can take a look. You don't have to keep going to the website to check the weather. I think you're going to see a bunch of Web Slices get created.

Tabbed browsing has been available since IE7. IE8 adds a bunch of new features and refines the tabbed browsing experience quite a bit.

I have been using IE8 at home since the early betas. I like it a lot. However, there can be some compatibility issues so you need to be careful. Some websites may not display correctly. Fortunately, IE8 includes a "Compatibility Button" that has corrected any problems I have run in to.

As usual, I suggest our Clients hold of a little on installing IE8. At least install it on one or two machines to test your environment before rolling it out to everyone. At some point it will be offered as a critical update in Windows Updates, so it will get installed automatically if you are not careful. My experience with IE8 has been very good. Because of the new features and the increased security, I suggest Clients move to it as soon as they complete their in house testing. More info on IE8 and the download link can be found here.