Microsoft releases Internet Explorer 9 browser

Friday, March 18, 2011

At 9:00 p.m. PDT Monday (0400 UTC Tuesday), Microsoft rolled out the first stable Internet Explorer 9 (IE9) release, available in 39 languages, for Windows Vista and Windows 7. Internet Explorer is the most used web browser, responsible for 56% of webpage hits. The new version adds support for new technologies with relation to the HTML5 specification and several feature changes. The browser was released as a beta with a campaign promoting the benefits of HTML5.

It includes support for SVG and the HTML5 canvas, audio, and video tags. It has a failing Acid3 score of 95/100, below Mozilla Firefox 4.0's 97/100, rating and the 100/100 in Google Chrome 10. The program is the first of its series not to run on Microsoft Windows XP. It includes a redesigned layout of the address bar and the ability to pin sites to the taskbar on Windows 7, along with several minor improvements.

The browser received mixed reviews. "IE9 as a Consumer Browser — Not Worth It," Jason Mick, DailyTech, concluded. A study by Which? on Tuesday showed that IE9's Tracking Protection Lists, an optional anti-tracking feature, may mislead users. "We're disappointed with the way these lists work, and feel consumers who install multiple lists could be left with a false sense of security." Dr. Rob Reid, Which? Policy senior advisor, said.

In a more positive review, a PC Magazine reviewer said that the positives of the new browser outweighed the negatives, and it is "a major improvement over its predecessor."

The announcement comes after the company launched a campaign to get Internet Explorer 6 usage down to 1%. Microsoft delayed the Japanese release "to reduce load on network bandwidth at such a critical time" with reference to the earthquake and tsunami in Japan this past Friday.

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Related news

"Microsoft waits for death of Internet Explorer 6" — Wikinews, March 8, 2011

Sources

IE9 Release Globally Available for Consumers and Businesses - IEBlog - Site Home - MSDN Blogs — Microsoft Corporation, March 14, 2011
BBC News - Microsoft launches IE9 web browser — BBC News Online, March 14, 2011
Gary Marshall. IE9 vs Firefox 4 vs Chrome 10 — Future Publishing Limited, March 15, 2011
Jason Mick. DailyTech - Microsoft Releases Internet Explorer 9, Makes a Strong Case for Business Users — DailyTech, March 15, 2011
IE 9’s anti-tracking feature ‘flawed', study finds - March - 2011 - Which? News — Which?, March 15, 2011
Internet Explorer 9 (IE9) — PC Magazine, March 14, 2011

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