A broad-brush look at the recent history of the web browser goes like this: after its victory over Netscape at the end of the 1990s, Microsoft failed to push forward with the development of Internet Explorer (IE). Mozilla successfully plugged that innovation gap, and the market share of the open-source browser has been growing steadily over recent years.
However, the competitive threat to Microsoft has now expanded, with Google and Apple entering the picture. Chrome and Safari are both quick and compete with each other to be the fastest browser at JavaScript processing. On top of all that, Microsoft is facing another innovative browser in the form of Opera, which could increase its market share from its present low base.
(Credit: CBS Interactive)
Despite appearances to the contrary, Microsoft has been busily engaged in browser development and Internet Explorer 8 has finally been completed. For these tests, we used a version that Microsoft says is only marginally different from the RTM build. The final version of Internet Explorer 8 is available for download for Windows XP, Vista and their server counterparts on Thursday 19 March 2009.
User interface
Internet Explorer 8 (IE8) resembles its predecessor in appearance, with the Refresh and Stop buttons on the right side of the Address Bar. Three drop-down menus — Page, Safety and Tools — appear to the right of the page tabs.
One welcome innovation in IE8 is that when you start typing a URL in the address bar, it now not only autocompletes, but you are also offered a drop-down list of suggested sites, related browsing history, favourites and RSS feeds. These options are grouped in clear categories. Entries you don't want in the drop-down list — such as an incorrect address — can be removed with a mouse-click. Unlike Firefox, the IE8 does not show any site logos in the drop-down menu.
In IE7, the default for the Links Bar is to remain hidden. In IE8 the Links Bar is called the Favorites Bar and is shown by default. With a mouse-click you can add sites, RSS feeds and so-called Web Slices, which are specific portions of a website that are automatically updated. So, for example, you could turn a specific eBay auction into a Web Slice, which will alert you to new bids. For Web Slices to work, the website concerned must make small modifications to its code.
IE8 has refined the way page tabs work. All the open tabs from the same website are colour-coded to make it easier for users to manage a larger number of pages. A single click can close an entire Tab Group, and you can also restore closed tabs. Unfortunately, it's not possible, as in Chrome, to drag and drop tabs into a separate browser window, which is a useful feature if you need to compare the contents of several pages.
For screenshots of these and other features, see our Internet Explorer 8 gallery.
Search and Accelerators
Microsoft has revamped the search box in the upper right-hand corner of the browser. You can now choose between different search providers, such as Windows Live, Google and Amazon, by clicking on the search provider's icon rather than using the drop-down menu. As in Firefox, you are offered suggestions as you type in the search box.
Searches not only provide links, but also suitable images — provided the search provider supports this function. This works with Amazon and eBay, for example. Microsoft calls this feature Visual Search. Also, as you start typing a search term, suggestions are offered by the search engine you've chosen. This feature is also available in Chrome, Firefox and Opera.
As well as Web Slices IE8 introduces so-called Accelerators, which make it easier to interact with web-based services. Highlight a piece of text on a website, and a blue button brings up a menu of services that can process the text on the spot. An address, for example, can be displayed on a map, or a phrase translated into another language.
On its default settings, IE8 operates in the Windows Live universe: blogging with Windows Live Spaces, consulting Encarta and sending email via Windows Live Hotmail, for example. But Microsoft also provides links to other service providers, such as Facebook, eBay and Yahoo.
It's all well and good to ask if Microsoft has done enough but as I've been using IE since Netscape stopped being a serious contender (read: after V4.7) the way I look at it is that I need to ask if Microsoft's new opponents are doing enough to drag me away from IE. Safari has a pretty GUI, Firefox has its little addon toys and Chrome is viewed by Google fanatics as the latest and greatest which I guess explains its 1% market share.
I'm on IE8 and can't see any problems with it so I guess there is no compelling reason for me to change at this point in time. Still, all this comes down to taste and personal needs. One compelling reason why I will never use Chrome is that I am of the understanding that Google collects information from the browser to steer their advertising engine regardless of whether you want them to or not. IE8 can block all these sorts of hidden transmissions of information and for people that like browsing websites instead of billboards this is a comforting feature.