Tuesday, March 15th 2011

Windows Internet Explorer 9 Released

Microsoft released Internet Explorer 9, in its stable RTM form, nearly an year after it first released "Platform Previews", followed by Betas and Release Candidates. With its latest release, Microsoft's still popular web-browser underwent a major overhaul in terms of features and browser-engine. The new browser is backed by a faster Javascript engine, a faster rendering engine that makes use of GPU hardware acceleration for drawing, and redesigned user interface elements that make day to day web browsing experience snappier.

With Internet Explorer 9, Microsoft also took a bold step in not supporting Windows XP, which still holds a large chunk of the operating system market share, the new browser only supports Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows 2008/2008-R2 series operating systems. The user interface is far more minimalistic, uses simple icons, the status and menu bars are hidden by default, with tooltips doing the job of a status bar, and the browser continues to support a large number of ActiveX components. The browser also underwent a security overhaul. For 64-bit versions of Windows, the installer also packs a 64-bit version of the browser. Oracle already has a stable 64-bit Java ActiveX plugin, while Adobe Labs has a beta 64-bit Flash player for Windows, two big steps in porting the web-browser to x86-64.

DOWNLOAD: Microsoft Windows Internet Explorer 9
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64 Comments on Windows Internet Explorer 9 Released

#1
alexsubri
i've been playing around with the IE9 RC's and it was pretty cool. HTML5 is awesome with IE9 and Silverlight. Check out some of the new websites that support IE9, pretty sweet stuff
Posted on Reply
#2
Mussels
Freshwater Moderator
i had RC1 and was meh, its not designed around many many tab users like me, and it actually crashed loading a few pages i went to regularly.


will update to final now and see how it goes.
Posted on Reply
#3
makwy2
Cool.

Yay! Finally went from beta -> RC -> Final product with a browser!

Oh yeah, and major props to Microsoft for NOT supporting XP. It was a good OS, a great OS even, but it is time to move on to another great OS - Windows 7. Welcome to better computing. You're welcome.
Posted on Reply
#4
MT Alex
Musselsi had RC1 and was meh, its not designed around many many tab users like me, and it actually crashed loading a few pages i went to regularly.


will update to final now and see how it goes.
You can show the tabs in a different row, so that the address bar doesn't take up tab room.
makwy2Yay! Finally went from beta -> RC -> Final product with a browser!
Me too.
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#5
pr0n Inspector
I don't even have iexplorer.exe so frak you MS. No activex flash either. I hope mshtml.dll suffers a slow and painful death.
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#7
erixx
I like the customization options (small but enough) of IE7. Now it looks a closed design.
Anyway I use Opera for everything except WinUpdate and similars.
Posted on Reply
#8
95Viper
IE9 does have improvements in a lot of areas.
I have just gotten use to Opera.
I'll use IE9 when/if needed, but for everyday use... I am staying with Opera.
:)
Posted on Reply
#9
AnaMaria81
Yeah:

1: Chrome
2: Opera
3: IE9
4: Firefox
Posted on Reply
#10
CrackerJack
Just gave IE9 a try... Not liking the UI. Haven't used IE since IE6. But the GPU usage was interesting. Playing Cityville, I would have up to 30% usage. And of coarse Firefox 3.6.15, ~2% usage. Firefox 4 Beta, was getting same results as IE9.. And I can also change the UI around to look like Firefox 3.6.15... So i'm sticking with Firefox :)
Posted on Reply
#11
Ferrum Master
Opera is my favorite. It is fast, and the UI is comfy and... it is scrolling smooth as butter and i like the crisp font rendering engine... IE? I use it for some work security stuff, where some specific AX controls are written, no other choice then. Anyway... IE9 is a huge and respectable leap for MS, way to go. :toast:

Firefox rulez for its addons... I use some IP header spoofs tools to watch my favorite that metal show, because it is impossible to watch it outside US. And other handy features that is only for FF. But it is slow and stuttering.

Chrome? I would like to compare it with a saying - not my kind of a girls I like. It seems everything to be all right, but naah I don't want her :laugh:
Posted on Reply
#12
Mussels
Freshwater Moderator
the reason i love FF is the addons as well, ad blockers, Youtube downloaders, tieins with my download programs.. its win.


I do like this whole GPU accelerated deal with browsers however, flash cant die off soon enough for me.
Posted on Reply
#13
Ferrum Master
Musselsthe reason i love FF is the addons as well, ad blockers, Youtube downloaders, tieins with my download programs.. its win.


I do like this whole GPU accelerated deal with browsers however, flash cant die off soon enough for me.
I don't like it tough... It causes my old ladies - GTX280 to spin up and get hotter because cards enter low power 3D idle state with higher clocks.
I think that i7 should be plenty enough to surf around Internet and watch youtube, now the now AVX instruction for Sandy Bridge... and in the future Bulldozers AMD FX series, should be plenty enough to enhance browsing a get more horsepower.

For Mobile device yes, no arguments there...

The other story is for WebGL and maybe Adobe Shocwave, that can use D3D/OGL resources via browser. Let us play Unreal deatmatch with colleagues at work, via browser... :rockout:
Posted on Reply
#14
AnaMaria81
Yeah, latest 10.2 flash update is pure garbage, well, all versions of Flash are craps, now I understand why Apple dump them
Posted on Reply
#15
Lipton
Flash 10.2 has worked great for me, both in IE9 RC and FF4 RC (as well as FF3.6). You can disable the flash hardware acceleration if you wish, and you can also disable hardware acceleration for the browser itself so you're on CPU alone (not that I see a point in that, but anyway). Only thing I hate about the hardware acceleration is the use of DirectWrite for font rendering - looks horrible (as does Steam). I made the RC of IE9 crash on some Java applet page, however, but I suspect that's partly Javas fault. :laugh:

IE9 RC has worked great for me and I'm glad they've caught up with the standards, it was well overdue. I'm confident the "browser wars" will benefit us users in the end. :pimp:
Posted on Reply
#16
n-ster
I like the new UI, but I still prefer Chrome's...

What I don't understand is that there are many flaws in Chrome and yet I prefer it to FF4 or IE9 even though they do not have the flaws that bother me in Chrome. Maybe I just gotta get used to their UI?

When I found Opera it was a revolution for me compared to the old IE. Then I found FF and its huge amount of custom plug-ins. Then Chrome came out, and I loved the UI. IE9 though seems quicker and I like that. I still use Firefox whenever I need plug-ins (not alot but cacaoweb is nice :D), but Iam thinking of forcing myself to use IE9 :p
Posted on Reply
#17
Mussels
Freshwater Moderator
one thing i noticed is that IE9 now passes the acid3 browser test 1 point higher than firefox - older versions of IE tended to do terrible at this test.
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#18
pr0n Inspector
IE9 claims to have color management but it assumes your display is sRGB, meaning it only converts tagged, non-sRGB images to sRGB. Display profiles are completely ignored.

Useless.
Posted on Reply
#19
newtekie1
Semi-Retired Folder
I dislike the fact that the tabs bar is over the other toolbars I have enabled. That is stupid, the tabs should be right above the page, and you can't move it, which is even more idiotic.

Good thing I use Avant.
Posted on Reply
#20
GSG-9
pr0n InspectorIE9 claims to have color management but it assumes your display is sRGB, meaning it only converts tagged, non-sRGB images to sRGB. Display profiles are completely ignored.

Useless.
Ok good its not just me. I thought I needed to recalibrate my display yesterday but today in Chrome things were as they should be. :wtf:
Posted on Reply
#21
Easy Rhino
Linux Advocate
this is a great browser. much faster than firefox out of the gate but of course not as much custimization. it is fully compatable with my bank and school unlike chrome and opera so it beats them as well. for me, IE9 is pure win!
Posted on Reply
#22
erixx
I have always used it for banking etc. I do not trust aficionado browsers.
Posted on Reply
#23
ERazer
newtekie1I dislike the fact that the tabs bar is over the other toolbars I have enabled. That is stupid, the tabs should be right above the page, and you can't move it, which is even more idiotic.

Good thing I use Avant.
+1 on tabs thats the only thing really annoys me overall performs well.
Posted on Reply
#24
Mussels
Freshwater Moderator
erixxI have always used it for banking etc. I do not trust aficionado browsers.
but you trust IE, generally known as the least secure browser of them all?
Posted on Reply
#25
wolf
Performance Enthusiast
GPU acceleration for games and video content sounds good, its about time really.
Posted on Reply
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