Microsoft's latest browser, Internet Explorer 8, is a guaranteed success. Windows Update will bring it to all Windows computers and many people will start using it without noticing that anything has changed. If you're browser savvy, however, you'll spot plenty of changes and new features to explore, so let's take a look at what's new.
Appearance
The last version of the browser, Internet Explorer 7, changed the way the browser looked. From reducing the number of buttons to hiding the menu, Microsoft fundamentally altered the look and feel of its browser. Some people liked it, others didn't. But conservative types will be pleased to see that version 8 has remained unchanged in appearance, so you won't have to relearn where the browser's more obscure features live.
Browser boost
Few people used to notice how quickly their browser launched – you might have seen a slight improvement in Firefox over Internet Explorer but both were click-and-wait. The likes of Apple Safari and Google Chrome changed our perception of this, with pared-down browsers proving faster at loading and quicker at rendering pages – especially those that used a lot of programming to make websites work like applications (like Google Docs).
Internet Explorer 8 has gone some way to catching up, with launch times much quicker than IE7, even if you've got add-ons and toolbars installed. It's still not as speedy as Chrome, but it's not the slug that it was. In our opinion, this is a good enough reason alone to upgrade.
Web acceleration
It's not only the browser that's got faster. Microsoft has made some new developments in terms of how we interact with websites, to speed up the process of browsing. Accelerators are a good example of this. When you want to use information from one web page on another (search for something or look up an address on a map, for example) you'll currently probably highlight it, copy it, open a new tab with your required page on, paste the info in and hit another button.
With Accelerators you need only select the information on the original page and right-click it – Internet Explorer understands what you want to do with this information and offers links to relevant resources. You can download Accelerators for your favourite services and even make your own.
Web Slices are another innovation that could speed up your time online, telling you whether a site has been updated since you last visited, so you don't have to waste time visiting dormant pages.
Navigation catch-up
Internet Explorer 7 was left behind by Google Chrome and Firefox 3 in terms of navigation, but has caught up with IE8 with the introduction of Tab Groups. Opening a new tab from a current web page opens that tab next to the current one and gives each one a different colour, which helps keep associated tabs under control.
Find on Page is accessed by clicking Ctrl + F, and finds occurrences of a word as you type the letters, refining as it goes. It also opens a toolbar with previous/next buttons, and the options to turn highlighting on or off, or select whether you want your match to be case sensitive. The address bar has also caught up, offering suggestions of web addresses as you type, from your history, Favorites, feeds and the like. Even opening a new tab offers you a list of handy shortcuts, including recently closed tabs or the option of a link to an Accelerator.
Safety first
Internet Explorer is the browser of choice for attacks from hackers. This isn't Microsoft's fault, it's just that by attacking the world's most popular browser, hackers and writers of malicious software can target the biggest chunk of potential victims, thus increasing their likelihood of successful hacks.
Microsoft continues its battle against dodgy sites with Smart Filter, which uses a blacklist database of known bad sites to block inadvertent visits. Cross Site Scripting, Domain Highlighting and Data Execution Detection are also all new technologies designed to keep you safer while you're online. You can also have greater control over your privacy with InPrivate browsing, which doesn't log your progress in the history or cookies. There's also an easier way to delete the detritus you collect as you surf.
Web standards
Adherence to web standards is something that Microsoft has rightly has been criticised for in the past – versions of Internet Explorer prior to 7 used an interpretation of HTML and CSS that generally drove web developers up the wall, often requiring two versions of a website to ensure sites worked in both Internet Explorer and everything else. Internet Explorer 8 is Microsoft's best attempt yet at rendering standards-compliant websites properly, which is good news for the web as a whole.
IE8 Verdict
A lot of the new features in Internet Explorer 8 have been seen elsewhere, either in rival browsers or existing add-ons. However, Internet Explorer needs to keep up with these current trends and committed IE users should welcome these enhancements. Performance has been improved both in terms of IE's raw speed and through the use of clever shortcutting innovations – these are handy and fun to use, and should also go down well – if there was one browser that needed a speed boost, it was Internet Explorer.
You can download Internet Explorer 8 at
www.microsoft.com/uk/windows/internet-explorer from 4pm on Thursday.
