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Microsoft IE9 Release Candidate: Why You Need to Try It
by Darryl K. Taft
Cheat Sheet
Microsoft has developed a "cheat sheet" that highlights all of the major changes that have occurred in IE9 between the beta and the RC version released on Feb. 10. The cheat sheet can be found at this site.
Tests
Microsoft has submitted tests to various standards bodies to test IE9 against the leading Web standards. The test results can be found at this Website.
Downloads
IE9 RC enables users to easily view and track their downloads.
Most Visited
With IE9 RC, you can access the sites you visit most—all in one place.
Filtering
The updated browser enables ActiveX filtering.
Tracking Protection
IE9 RC enables users to add a tracking protection list.
Aero Snap
In this slide, Aero Snap is shown while tearing off tabs.
Blocking
The Download Manager blocking an unsafe site.
Canvas
Here is a demo of Canvas Zoom.
Continuous Video
With IE9 RC, video is continuous while dragging a tab.
CSS3
IE9 RC supports CSS3 Media Queries.
Reputation
The browser's Download Manager shows a reputation warning.
Pinning
Users can drag the tab icon near the taskbar to pin.
Something's FishIE
In this slide, FishIE Tank is showing hardware acceleration.
Focus on Website
Internet Explorer 9 Release Candidate puts the focus on your Website, not the browser.
One Box
One Box can perform searches as you type.
Vertical
With IE9 RC, you can pin a Website to the vertical taskbar.
Multiples
Users also can pin multiple homepages.
SmartScreen
This slide shows the IE9 RC SmartScreen warning page.
Search
IE9 RC offers various ways to search the Internet.
Another Way
This slide depicts another way to search.
Tabs
Tabs below the address bar are shown here.
Tear Off
Tear-off tabs—Avatar Marketplace.
Icon Overlay
The Hotmail icon shows the icon overlay, indicating new messages.
Site Icon
With Internet Explorer 9 Release Candidate, the site icon becomes pinnable.
Tracking Protection
Users can configure tracking protection lists.
Web Fonts
IE9 RC supports Web fonts.
hi5 and HTML5
In this slide, hi5 is utilizing IE9 and HTML5.
Interactive Features
Archetype designed an updated site for Red Bull, which has IE9-based interactive features.
Logo
Pictured is the IE9 RC logo.
IE9 RC Event
Rob Mauceri (left), principal group program manager for Internet Explorer, and Ryan Gavin, senior director of Internet Explorer, present the keynote speech at the Internet Explorer 9 Release Candidate event in San Francisco Feb. 10.
Pirates Love Daisies
Developer Grant Skinner gives a demonstration of PiratesLoveDaisies.com, an impressive tower-defense game built entirely in HTML5, at the Internet Explorer 9 Release Candidate event.
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Microsoft shipped its Internet Explorer 9 Release Candidate Feb. 10 as a near-final version of the browser that features significant performance enhancements, user experience improvements and standards compatibility advancements. The release candidate, known as IE9 RC, is available at www.BeautyOfTheWeb.com in 40 languages, Dean Hachamovitch, corporate vice president for Internet Explorer at Microsoft, said in a Feb. 10 blog post. Hachamovitch said with IE9 RC, Microsoft has incorporated more than 17,000 pieces of feedback about IE9, and moved the browser forward in terms of performance and standards, user experience, and safety and privacy. Microsoft culled insights from more than 25 million beta testers to update the IE9 technology, including making the browser's "Chakra" JavaScript engine at least 30 percent faster than it was in the beta version. As for hardware acceleration and interoperability in the latest release, according to the SunSpider benchmark, IE9 RC is 35 percent faster than Internet Explorer 9 Beta—322 ms in the beta versus 209 ms in RC. Meanwhile, Microsoft continues to implement standards as they become stable, and IE9 RC supports geolocation, playback of H.264-encoded video using the HTML5 video tag, and now WebM video, when a VP8 code is installed on Windows.