Microsoft has launched the completed version of its Internet Explorer 9 web browser.  This final release has been designed to run on Vista and Windows 7.  It will not run on Windows XP.

The key features reported by Microsoft are:

• – Fast: With IE9, the Web delivers a new level of performance by unlocking the power of the PC hardware through Windows.
• – Clean: With IE9, consumers can keep sites at the center of their browsing experience, pinning them to the taskbar and interacting with them the same way they do applications.
• – Trusted: IE9 offers industry-leading protections (like SmartScreen) for the real-world threats (such as malicious sites and phishing scams) that consumers face every day on a sometimes-hostile Web.
• – Interoperable: With hardware-accelerated HTML5, developers can use the same markup across browsers to deliver a new class of Web experiences that feel more like apps than sites.

IE9 has built-in hardware acceleration for sites which support HTML5; the power of your graphics card can be used to render graphics.  See the following example: Fish Tank Test

Another key feature in IE9 is the introduction of privacy tools which stop users being tracked as they move from site to site as well as enhanced downloading and screening (SmartScreen Filter) to reduce the risk of downloading Trojans and viruses.

The Microsoft Tracking Protection site provides links to Tracking Protection Lists (TPLs) created by companies and organisations that want to help consumers understand and make choices about their online privacy.  Individual lists can be added by clicking the “Add TPL” links on the right side of the page.

Links

 
• Download Internet Explorer 9

Published by Robert Rutherford