Microsoft releases platform preview of Internet Explorer 10

By Jeffrey Van Camp April 12, 2011

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It has only been a few weeks since IE9 hit the Web, but Microsoft is already gearing up for its next major release. Minutes ago, at its MIX 11 conference, the folks from Redmond announced that the first platform preview of Internet Explorer 10 is available for download, right now. The new version of IE, now three weeks into development, will feature greater native support for HTML5, faster speeds, and advanced CSS.

Ignoring Firefox, Microsoft went directly for Chrome, attacking its ability to render HTML5 sites as well as either IE9 or 10. Using tests at www.ietestdrive.com, representatives showed support for new emerging CSS3 standards like Multi-column Layout, Grid Layout, Flexible Box Laout, Gradients, 3D Transforms, and Transitions. During all HTML5 tests, Chrome majorly failed to keep up with Microsoft’s browser. However, it should be noted that these are benchmark tests created by Microsoft. Browser makers love to come up with their own benchmark tests and when they do, their browser almost always outperforms the competition.

Microsoft had some harsh words for Google’s development approach as well. The company criticized the search giant’s decision to issue small updates every week or two and defended the idea of releasing substantial platform updates every 8-12 weeks, claiming it was much better for developers and gives them time and a much clearer idea of what its browser is capable of. It also gives them time to explore new features and give feedback to Microsoft.

IE10 also resizes Web pages depending on your window size, much like how mobile browsers will auto resize text to fit your screen.

Microsoft’s next developer’s conference is Sept. 13-16, 2011 in Anaheim, California. Representatives promised more features and demos will be announced at the next conference.

A good day for IE

When IE9 released, we were impressed with the new browser, but Microsoft’s slow updating history had us worried about its ability to keep up with Chrome. Today, the company showed that it has learned its lesson and is now moving forward at an accelerated pace, consistently attacking Chrome’s perceived advantages in speed and usability. It looks like IE9 may be just the beginning of a resurgence in browser support for Microsoft.

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As DT's Deputy Editor, Jeff helps oversee editorial operations at Digital Trends. Previously, he ran the site's…

Computing

Microsoft to start silent upgrades to Internet Explorer

Internet Explorer

Microsoft has announced that beginning early next year, it will begin silently upgrading Internet Explorer on systems running Windows Xp, Windows Vista, and Windows 7. The move mirrors an upgrade strategy that's been used by Google Chrome since 2009, which routinely upgrades users to the latest version without explicitly asking for permission. Currently, even if Windows users have automatic upgrades enabled, Microsoft asks for permission before upgrading Internet Explorer from one version to another: beginning in January, that will stop: if users have Windows updates enabled, IE will get upgraded along with everything else.
The move isn't quite as draconian as it sounds, though: users can still opt out. Microsoft says users who have declined to install IE8 or IE9 through Windows Update will not be automatically updated to new versions of the browser, and customers will be able to uninstall the updates if they like—customers will also be able to block the update, if they like, or upgrade on their own as they see fit. Microsoft also says future version of IE will have an option so users can opt out of automatic upgrades. Microsoft also plans to make a automatic update blockers available to enterprises and organizations who, for whatever reasons, want to stick with older browsers.
Users will be upgraded to a version of Internet Explorer suitable for their operating system. Folks running Windows 7 or Windows Vista will be pushed forward to Microsoft's current browser, Internet Explorer 9, where folks running IE6 or IE7 under Windows XP will be pushed forward to Internet Explorer 8.
"The Web overall is better—and safer—when more people run the most up-to-date browser," Microsoft's general manager for IE business and marketing Ryan Gavin wrote. "Our goal is to make sure that Windows customers have the most up-to-date and safest browsing experience possible, with the best protections against malicious software such as malware."
Microsoft plans to start the silent upgrade process in Australia and Brazil beginning in January, and expand the program gradually to other markets. Microsoft has not announced when it plans to bring silent Internet Explorer upgrades to the United States.
Google's Chrome has been using a silent update methodology for some time; Mozilla Firefox plans to integrate silent updates into Firefox 12, due in April 2012.

Computing

Internet Explorer users have lowest IQ of all web surfers, study shows [updated]

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Update: This so-called study was found to be a hoax by the BBC. Please, disregard.
Original text: A newly released study has found that users of Microsoft's line of Internet Explorer browsers have the lowest IQs, on average, than people who regularly use other web browsers. Conversely, Opera users have the highest average IQ.
The study (PDF) comes via Vancouver-based "psychometric consulting company" AptiQuant, who tested 101,326 people, from English-speaking countries, over the course of four weeks, using the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale to determine their intellectual prowess.
"Because cognitive scores are related to tech-savviness," the researchers write in the study, "we hypothesized that the choice of web browser is related to cognitive ability of an individual."
While the study is not on par with, say, a scientific paper, and IQ is hardly the only factor in determining a person's full intellect, the report certainly does a lot to make non-IE users feel good about themselves.

Perched at the pinnacle of brainpower are users of Opera, who scored an average IQ of 126.5. Mozilla's Mac-specific browser, Camino, came in a close second, with a score of 124.4. As you might expect, the most widely used browsers fell somewhere in the middle: Safari users scored a 113.5; Chrome, 111.2; and Firefox, 108.7.
Crowded at the bottom of the brain heap are users of Internet Explorer. Of those, users of IE 9 had the best score, about an 87. And it just goes down hill from there, with each previous version's users scoring worse and worse. The plunge ends with IE 6 users, who scored about an 82.
"From the test results, it is a clear indication that individuals on the lower side of the IQ scale tend to resist a change/upgrade of their browsers," AptiQuant writes. The company also says that this information should add another nail to the coffin of the Internet Explorer line.
"It is common knowledge, that Internet Explorer Versions to 6.0 to 8.0 are highly incompatible with modern web standards," the company writes. "In order to make websites work properly on these browsers, web developers have to spend a lot of unnecessary effort.... Now that we have a statistical pattern on the continuous usage of incompatible browsers, better steps can be taken to eradicate this nuisance."

Computing

Google launches ‘It Gets Better’ TV ad for Chrome browser

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As Don Draper would tell you, good advertising always seeks to connect consumer with product in an emotional way. And with Google's first television commercial for its Chrome browser, the tech giant has gone straight for the heartstrings.

Rather than focus on Chrome's superior speed, as its past Internet-only ads have done, Google centers this ad around the "It Gets Better Project," which seeks to help gay young people who are struggling in the face of bigotry and societal adversity. The It Gets Better Project was first launched in September 2010 by author Dan Savage, who posted a video on Google-owned YouTube to help "inspire hope for young people facing harassment."