Browsers have arguably become more important than the underlying OS in the modern, connected world. So take note when Microsoft announces an update to the Web-dominating software favored by your IT department. When the clock strikes 12:00 noon in New York, Microsoft says it'll release its much anticipated Internet Explorer 8 software to the world. Out of beta, Steve Ballmer claims that IE 8, "gets people to the information they need, fast, and provides protection that no other browser can match." Time will tell, eh hax0rs?
Read -- press release
Read -- download link (active at 12:00 EST)
posted Mar 19th 2009 3:01AM
With the releases of Safari 4 Beta, Google Chrome, and Firefox 3,Microsoft will need IE8 to be nearly perfect and fast. Otherwise their market share will continue to drop
Don't forget netscape. lol
Unfortunally, IE8 isn't up to the standards set by the other browsers. But at least it has catched up some more years.
Well, in reality no-one, especially in the corporate world actually gives a toss about a self appointed standards group so unless MS drop the ball spectacularly IE8 is pretty safe there. Consumers on the other hand will use their browser of choice.
@sacapuntas:
You may laugh, but I'll have you know that I'm using Netscape Navigator 9 right now, as I have been for the last year. Goddamnit, I'd buy the rights to the name and update Navigator myself if I could. But, I've decided to make the permanent switch to Firefox on May 1st this year, poor old historic Netscape.
Internet Explorer, ha! Like anything would ever make me switch back to the dreaded IE.
Yeah, but at the end of the day, you'll still need IE for Windows Updates. Thus people at least need it on their computers.
I just tested it last week on two computers - all it does is hang faster than any other browser- useless as tits on a bull.
"you'll still need IE for Windows Updates"
No, you really don't. Windows Update is now a standalone application and not a plug-in.
@ Andir 3.0
Not completely - having issues with my Windows Update in Vista, as a fix - Microsoft recommends I change some of my settings in IE 7 to connect to the MS update servers.
Lets just hope they've actually fixed all the bugs that make my job so much harder (and yes, IE7 was still full of them). Speed aside, even if I don't use it, I only hope they've got their house in order so web applications can progress in their native form (i.e not Flash/Silverlight etc).
Protection that no other browser can match?
http://blogs.zdnet.com/security/?p=2934
They all failed. =P
At least Firefox has tons of extensions, I mean add-ons.
shit's weak, what about my current browser of choice, "OPERA"???
kudos to kevin. ive been using opera for the bast 4 years now and have been an active participant in teh spread opera campaign. i guess i havent done my job well enough :(
the "protection that no other browse can match" is just normal marketing. Pretty much all companies do that. "oh look our company's product is the best!"...Apple said stuff about Safari 4 too, you know.
protection no other browser can match? did IE stop using activex or something?
Actually, Chrome is the only other browser to match IE8's proactive security measures: Running tabs out of process, and with lower security than the user executing them.
Both IE8 and Chrome run tabs in seperate processes for stability, but only IE8 and IE7 run the browser sandboxed with lower permissions. Chrome does not do this, but it should.
"gets people to the information they need, fast, and provides protection that no other browser can match." This just goes to show you how delusional they are in Redmond, they still think what they do actually works.
It's gonna take alot to get me to stop using Chrome.
if ie8 just got rid of the shit at the top and had sticky tabs like chrome and most of all had f11 working like it does without taking up the whole screen I would skip back immediatly, but they just aren't going to change something that big so quickly
Seriously, Chrome is what IE8 should have been. A no-nonsense, super fast browser that is both simple, yet robust with intuitive features, but a small footprint. The use of separate processes is also key for controlling popups and being able to kill the malicious stuff while not losing your non-malicious web space.
IE8 is still clunky and the options menu is still based on IE4... that radio button checklist is convoluted and boring to scroll through. No quick ways to disable javascript, or view frame source, or view background image. Its still as lame as ever, just a bit faster
maybe if they used webkit I would use it. Then again, I still wouldnt
...so I assume you'll be there liveblogging away as usual?
Followed up with a hasty hands on-video and full spec sheet with obligatory emphasis on the good features.
You're trying to make some kind of point but it really isn't that bad of a reality. I'd rather have that than some sponsored coverage of some overseas knockoff gadget that no one will ever buy.
So yes, bring on the full-spec livebogging!
Since they liveblogged the release of Safari 4 Beta and every other browser...
If you're fed up with Apple stuff, Engadget is more fond of the Palm Pre now. When it's released I'm sure there will be tons of videos and spec sheets here...
I just want to read a balanced blog. Mentioning Safari 4 beta isn't fair, because it's still in beta. We'll see when it's out in final version. Then we can tally the articles and whether the emphasis lies on positive or negative issues.
"Then we can tally the articles and whether the emphasis lies on positive or negative issues."
We? I think you're on your own on this one but I'm sure it will be an exciting time for you.
Except Safari is a public Beta and I didn't even see anything on Engadget about it ...
Bah arguing on the internet is like pissing against the wind; nobody gives a fuck, and you just pissed all over yourself.
And why the fuck is this a bad thing? We wan't all the details about new gadgets.
On the Internet, you can either bitch and moan about a blog or you can make your own.
Sounds like there are a lot of incompetent IT departments out there...
Perhaps. But it is a fact that quite a few web applications still need IE to work and that's why IE remains, at least for my company, the corporate standard, although there does seem to be tacit tolerance for Firefox these days as well. It can, of course, be argued that the IT organisation should have chosen applications that were not browser dependent but I don't know what the competing applications were like.
sounds like there are also a lot of naive college students out there as well
its gonna sux just like it has always sux....
How's it doing with acid3, along with the other browsers?
I think Opera's doing the best on that one... around 80/100 I think. Firefox was slightly behind on 70-something... but IE8 got an epic fail of 12.
Safari 4 beta does 100/100, as much as that matters, anyway. (And I'd guess any browser with a recent WebKit does the same.)
Opera 9 and Opera 10 alpha scored 100/100
http://blogs.zdnet.com/Burnette/?p=558
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10113152-2.html
As of Dec. '08, the second article says:
"Firefox 3.0.4 scores 71/100, while Firefox 3.1 beta 1 hits 89/100. Google Chrome 0.4 earns 79/100, while Internet Explorer 7 struggles at 14."
Who cares? The only reason you people bang on about Acid3 is because IE8 passes Acid2.
Who gives a shit? its not like everybody goes around looking at happy faces all day on the internet....it renders your favorite website just fine....
@jakem No its because Acid3 is the NEW standards test. Jesus its no wonder ie has been dragging us back into 1998 for so many years.
opera scored 100/100 with its pre-alpha browser around a week or so after the acid three test came out, following suit by the safari beta which i think scored 100/100 under some conditions. acid three got old, because the only browsers that cared could score prefect within the first month.
i smelll active x worms in 3....2....1.....
Hopefully this fixes the problem me and some others are having with RC1.
When I have a few tabs open, if I open another and try to go to a site, it just says "Connecting..." and eventually times out. I have to open a couple tabs to get the site to open.
Nevermind. I finally took the time to do something about it. I wasn't able to uninstall RC1 because I installed it before SP3. However, I found the uninstaller for Beta 2 (?) and ran that. This removed RC1, and I was able to reinstall it. It works fine now.
I do have a question, though. Is there a way to get the search box in the top right to open a new window when I hit enter while the cursor is inside of it?
ALT + Enter
Just realized you said new window, not new tab. Sorry.
Way to step on a defacto standard key combo... alt + enter is commonly used in games for fullscreen/window switching.
I meant new tab, and I know about alt + enter, but I want it to open in a new tab by default.
And it's still having its little problem with tabs timing out. I really hope this final release fixes it.