Internet Explorer 9 is finally here...well almost. Microsoft is releasing their new browser on March 14, 2011.
IE9 has a number of improvements, including:
Faster, Faster, Faster. Did I mention it is faster? With the new browsers coming out from Mozilla, Google, and Microsoft, there have been a flood of speed test coverage. Chrome has long held the javascript speed crown. But according to Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols over at ZDNET..."for the moment at least IE9 is actually the fastest browser I’ve tested to date." He came to this revelation after figuring out that the 32-bit version of IE9 has the new Chakra JIT (the 64-bit version doesn't). It also has a DirectX-based rendering engine so it can do cool tricks once reserved for desktop applications.
Windows 7 Desktop Integration. Read my post for more details. Unfortantely, they didn't integrate my ideas...at least not yet :)
Hot new UI. Ok, they "borrowed" some ideas from Chrome...but that is the best form of flattery.
Standards Compliance. A real focus on HTML5 and CSS3. Definite goodness for developers.
So, go get yourself some IE9 on Monday and enjoy!