Under the surface
A lot has changed inside Internet Explorer 8. For example, individual tabs now run in separate processes, so if one tab crashes it won't bring down the whole browser. In addition, the offending tab is automatically restored.
However, this feature only applies if the computer has enough resources, otherwise certain processes are shared. Microsoft has not published the conditions under which IE8 displays this behaviour. Generally, however, the new architecture is significantly more stable — something that's particularly important given the growing number of more complex web applications.
Microsoft is known for a somewhat cavalier attitude to web standards, but that attitude seems to have changed — at least as far as IE8 is concerned, which supports HTML 4.01 and CSS 2.1. The browser also passes the Acid2 rendering test.
Compatibility
Microsoft's new-found enthusiasm for web standards is to be welcomed, but some issues remain. Many websites are optimised for the peculiarities of Internet Explorer 7 (IE7) and its predecessors. The new rendering engine in IE8 highlights the consequences of that optimisation, displaying errors ranging from barely perceptible shifts in page layouts to the rarer occurrence of non-working menus.
To circumvent this problem, Microsoft has integrated a compatibility mode that falls back on the proven IE7 engine. If you notice display errors in the page you're browsing, you can enable a Compatibility View via a button next to Refresh in the address bar. The site is then reloaded using the older engine and IE8 will save the setting.
You can opt to have Microsoft supply the browser with an automatically compiled list of incompatible sites that will be surfed using the IE7 engine. This list saves you from having to switch engines manually. The first version of the list contains more than 1,400 addresses, including some of Microsoft's own.
In this way, Microsoft has satisfactorily resolved a major compatibility problem. Whether you choose to intervene manually or use the Microsoft-supplied list depends on the sites you regularly visit. Meanwhile, website owners can only hope that one day Internet Explorer will be able to make compatibility-mode decisions automatically.
Security and privacy
The internet can be viewed as the digital equivalent of the Wild West, so the security of a browser is crucial. Internet Explorer has been under continuous bombardment from malware authors, so Microsoft has expanded the security features in the latest version of its browser.
For example, the Phishing Filter that first appeared in Internet Explorer 7 (IE7) has been beefed up. The filter now actively scans websites for malware. Also, to help users spot phishing attacks, IE8 shows a website's domain name in bold black and greys out the remainder of the URL. This "domain name highlighting" is designed to highlight spoofing and domain-name switches.
Cross-site scripting attacks are prevented by a new filter, according to Microsoft.
Data Execution Prevention is now active by default and is designed to frustrate attacks based on buffer overflows. The effectiveness of this feature will only become apparent over time.
The new InPrivate browsing mode allows users to surf the internet without leaving obvious traces on the client. This mode opens a new window and turns off logs of websites visited, temporary internet files and cookies. This approach is not completely safe, however, because special tools can undelete this information. Chrome, Firefox, Opera and Safari all have similar private browsing modes.
Microsoft has also introduced a Suggested Sites feature, which proposes other sites that could be of interest based on the current search. Although this function is not active by default, the potential benefits it holds for Microsoft are open to speculation.
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.