Breathe Marketing Blog

IE9 – Microsoft Internet Explorer, 9th time lucky?

Web Developers and designers don’t have an easy life they design and code a website striving for the very best job they can. They get their code working in Google Chrome, Firefox, Opera even Safari with out too much hassle, as all these browsers render code in very similar ways (having been designed to interpret and use web standards). Then the poor web designer/developer checks their shiny new design/code in Explorer and the real work and heartache begin.

ie-9 Internet Explorer has never really interpreted web standards as other browsers do, there is always something in doesn’t do quite as the others, some small spanner always gets chucked in the works for good measure. IE has struggled for sometime to keep up with the other browsers. In fact IE 6 is has inspired several web campaigns to phase it out see the BBC website. They are all better than IE at web standards, rendering speed and quicker at releasing updates. Explorer is fast becoming the unpopular nerdy boy in the corner, whose idea of cutting edge style and fashion standards seems to come from its mum, bless it.

But what about IE9? I hear you all ask. Well….I wouldn’t get your hopes up. Development of this browser is still in its very early stages but Microsoft has already released some details.

HTML 5…
…Microsoft says that it will interpret HTML 5 responsibly. I suspect this means it will pick and choose which features to support and we will find ourselves in the same boat as previous versions of Explorer. Struggling to get it to render web standards properly.

Javascript…
…they are trying to catch up to the other browsers speed wise, and Microsoft say that IE9 will achieve this. But by the time they release it the other browsers may have moved on.

CSS..
…will be much improved, including rounded corner support which will make web designers lives much more bearable and open the web up to improved site designs all round (excuse the pun). Other browsers have been supporting CSS styles and rounded corners for sometime now, which makes IE seem like the slow second cousin.

Hardware Acceleration…
…Explorer does seem to have its act together here it will use Direct X hardware acceleration which will speed up graphic rendering and interpretation of AJAX.

I really hope IE9 will catch up or even surpass other browsers in its speed and standards support as I think this will be better for all of us, leading to better looking, faster websites and help the internet become all that it possibly can. I really hope it does, as another disappointing appearance from IE just might be the end for it. Browser statistics in December 09 show IE8 at 13.5%, IE7 at 12.8%, IE6 at 10.9%, Firefox at 46.4%, Chrome at 9.8%, Safari at 3.6% and Opera at 2.3%. With this growing trend in a few years IE may no longer exist.

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