A quick peek at Internet Explorer 8

31 March 2009
Take a look at the newest version in the Internet Explorer family, IE8. Released early this year, I will give you a glimpse into some of the new features and add-ons available.

SMALL HISTORY

In July 1995, Microsoft released an operating system called Windows 95 which included vital technologies to allow a user to connect to the Internet. As the public's interest in the Internet was growing, Microsoft created a fantastic new add-on to the Windows 95 operating system and called it Internet Explorer 1.0. Combining the two; the operating system and the browser created a huge stir, and made the internet a much more accessible tool for the masses. This fantastic new piece of kit replaced the need for the hard to use shareware browsers around at the time. Fast-forward only six years and along came the introduction of an new piece of technology, fondly known as Internet Explorer 6, which was bundled with Windows XP in 2001. The advantages of this browser were a more private, reliable and flexible tool that was slowly becoming a bigger consumer priority.



INTERNET EXPLORING

Now, in March 2009, we have the launch of the latest version of the popular browser, Internet Explorer 8. So what could Microsoft possibly have up their sleeves for this browser? Whatever it is, it will have to compete with a multitude of other browsers which are becoming more popular including Safari and most significantly, Mozilla's Firefox. Whichever you use, you will use certain features and never even look at others. The good thing about a browser like Mozilla's Firefox is the way you can customise and add-on certain features which mean you use what you want/need and you can turn off the stuff you don't. This brings us nicely to the newest addition to the Microsoft browser portfolio...



NUMBER 8

Just when you get used to using something, they go and change it... This new version of Internet Explorer has many new features and I am going to try and summarise a few of the main one's for you.

Accelerators

A nice addition is what Microsoft is calling 'Accelerators', that provide you with the ability to look at maps, do web searches, email and blog simply by highlighting a word on a webpage.

Enhanced Tabbed Browsing

Love your tabs, well you're in luck because IE8 allows you to group together your tabs which makes allow you to colour code and identify related content within one tab, instead of having a great number of unmanageable tabs open at once. Personally, when I get to around 8 tabs in Mozilla Firefox, I open a new window so this feature may well appeal to you too.

Increased Performance

Microsoft is claiming to have greatly improved performance which should contribute to a much faster and more responsive browsing experience. They say that the browser itself will launch more quickly and load pages faster, while the tab page will help you get started. The script engine built into IE8 is significantly faster, shortening the load time for webpages that heavily use Javascript or Asynchronous JavaScript and XML (AJAX).

Web Slices

Using Web Slices allows you to keep up-to-date with things that you use on a day-to-day basis. Things like e-mail, weather reports, sports scores and so on can now be updated frequently within a typical Favourites Bar found at the top of your browser, normally directly under the Search Bar. Named 'Web Slices' due to the fact that you can keep up-to-date with a 'Slice' of the web at the click of a mouse button. Interestingly, on Microsoft's website, they say 'Microsoft is working with partners to create more Web Slices, so, look for more Web Slices to become available on your favorite sites.' (Microsoft.com)



STAYING SAFE IN IE8

As Web Developers, we are fully aware of the safety issues found within the World Wide Web. We are dealing with and adapting to them on a weekly basis, which leads me to IE8's new safety features found within their new browser. Hackers, Viruses, Malware, Spyware and Trojans are all part of our daily routine whether we like it or not, and instead of getting down about these facts, we must move on and try to adapt to them.

Your web browser can be your first point of contact for anyone trying to get a virus, spyware or malware onto your pc. Thus, browser developers are constantly striving for ways to either destroy these malicious methods or to tell you that something looks a bit 'dodgy' so you can do something about it.

SmartScreen Filter

This little program alerts you to any websites that have been reported as unsafe giving you the option to navigate away from it before anything can go wrong. The list of unsafe websites is generally updated by anyone who has this installed and finds a website that isn't considered 'safe'.


Domain Highlighting

One of the better features that I think would come in handy for staying safe online is the Domain Highlighting feature. It allows you to interpret a web address, also known as the URL, to help you distinguish between the 'real deal' and avoid a phishing site which try and get you to fill in personal details. It achieves this by highlighting the actual domain in black, with the remainder of the URL string in grey, making it easier to identify the main address.




I hope this has given you a good insight into what to expect from the new Internet Explorer browser. This is by no means a complete list of all of the new features and I recommend that the best way to find out for yourself is to install it and give it a go. Currently the browser is available for download and you can find it via the link below on the Microsoft website. Be aware that when you install the new version 8, your old version 7 will be overwritten! From my first experiences with the new version, it is very, very similar so you shouldn't feel alienated in any way or feel lost.