Although it is a little belated, I thought I had better cover the latest browser release from Microsoft at some point.
Internet Explorer 8 was officially released officially in late March. For web developers and administrators, I suppose this release is a big deal, as the trends from the web analytics statistics I am frequently exposed to indicate that the majority of ‘normal’ web users will upgrade to the latest version of Microsoft Internet Explorer reasonably quickly.
However, in the opinion of many savvy web users, IE8 is a ‘catch up’ version.
The “new” features are new for IE, but Chrome and Firefox have had these features for some time (and for that matter, these browsers also offer a lot more features that IE is yet to acknowledge). So if your main browser is currently Google Chrome or Firefox (or even the Safari 4 beta version), I can guarantee that the “new” features in IE8 will not be sufficient reason for you to make the switch back to IE.
However, if you are an avid Microsoft fan, and your current browser is Internet Explorer version 7, then you are certainly in for a treat. In comparison to IE7, IE8 is faster, offers a load of smarter features, is more compliant, offers developer tools, and offers a tasty feature known as caret browsing. Not to mention a whole bunch of other fantastic new features (that let’s face it, have been ‘inspired’ by previous versions of Google Chrome, Firefox and Safari – well done Microsoft, for letting others conduct your user testing!).
Needless to say, historical evidence indicates that IE8 will penetrate the market very quickly.
As previously mentioned, whether you are a website developer, owner, tester, administrator, or analyst, IE8 is a browser which will shortly become your most significant internet browser to date. Prepare yourself for it.
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Comments ( 2 )
I don't think Internet Explorer's latest version is a 'catch up' on other browsers. In fact, I find the latest version quite robust, fast and reliable. In fact on my machine it opens faster than FF.
Regarding features, I quite liked the Crash Tab Recovery feature of IE8 – something that other browsers haven't yet introduced yet. Have a look – here's a video demonstrating the same – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFTUqK-cOuE
Whats your thoughst on this?
Shruti added these pithy words on
May 14 09 at
3:18 am
Hey Shruti – very relevant points. Firstly – do you work for Microsoft…..as the fan base for Microsoft apps seems to be dwindling these days. Though based on your feedback above, perhaps that is set to change.
I think many people have been tainted by Microsoft's unstable previous releases, not only for browsers, but for all applications. I actually find the Crash Tab Recovery quite ironic – most other browsers don't crash anywhere near as much for me as IE7 did, I'm hoping this has been fixed in IE8.
Google Chrome has a similar feature for recovering your browsers tabs from previous sessions (you simply need to change one of the default settings, and then it will always “save” your session regardless of whether you closed the browser intentionally or something went awry).
JakeThePeg added these pithy words on
May 14 09 at
4:45 am
