Why people should switch from Internet Explorer 8 to Internet Explorer 9?

Many people are familiar with Internet Explorer when it was first created in early 90s. The purpose of upgrading to each version is to promote the browser by improving the features in order to be more efficient and make it more useful for people to use Internet Explorer.  If you want to be able to browse faster on the Internet, have a more secure  browser, then the first step is to have the latest operating system that is still supported by Microsoft (Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Windows Server 2008 R2) for your PC.(1).  Keeping the browser up-to-date will be your best option if you are using any of the operating systems. The best thing about upgrading Internet Explorer is that it is free to download as long you meet the requirements on your basic operating system.

What is Internet Explorer 8?

Internet Explorer 8 (IE8) is a web browser developed by Microsoft in the Internet Explorer browser series. It was released  on March 19, 2009 for Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Windows Server 2008 R2. It was first version of IE to pass Acid2 test and last of major browsers to do so. Unfortunately it is the last version of Internet Explorer to be supported on Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. The next version Internet Explorer 9 will only supports Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows Server 2008 R2.¹

Pros:

• Search Suggestions⁵
• Accelerators³
• Increased performance⁵
• Address Bar⁵
• Uses all window operating systems
• Uses In-Private Browsing¹
• Automatic tab-crash recovery¹
• Turn on SmartScreen Filter¹
• Provides Compatibility Mode¹

Cons:

• Speed is much slower than Internet Explorer 9
• No option to pin sites
• Lack Add-on Performance Advisor
• No Notification Bar
• Lack of Download Manager
• Lacks support on CSS
• Lacks support on HTML5

What is Internet Explorer 9?

Internet Explorer 9 (IE9) is the current version of the Internet Explorer web browser from Microsoft. It was released to the public on March 14, 2011. Internet Explorer 9 supports several via Windows Color System, and has improved JavaScript performance. The windows requirements for supporting Internet Explorer are Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows Server 2008 R2 or Windows Vista Service Pack 2 with the Platform Update. Internet Explorer 9 will be the last version to be supported Windows Vista since they will be coming out with Internet Explorer 10 for Windows 7.²  For more information on Internet Explorer 10 check out this link.

Pros:

• Examine Two Tabbed Pages at the same time³
• Use Download Manager³
• Search in the Address Bar³
• Pin sites to the Taskbar (works only in Windows 7)³
• Add a Favorite Site to the Start Menu
• Using Tracking Protection
• Notification Bar
• Tab Page
• Add-on Performance Advisor
• Uses Active X Filitering³
• Accelerators³
• Accessing Windows Update³
• Uses In-Private Browsing³
• Download Files to your Desktop³
• Supports Windows Vista
• Available in 93 languages²
• Faster JavaScript engine than Internet Explorer 8²
• More improved Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) support²
• HTML5 support²
• Turn on SmartScreen Filter²

Cons:

• Only works for Windows 7 and Vista⁴
• Some site incompatibilities⁴
• Lack of Accelerators
• Lack of Automatic tab-crash recovery on single tab

Overall, more people should switch out to Internet Explorer 9 since it allows you to have more control of your browser than Internet Explorer 8. For people who are interested in upgrading to Internet Explorer 9 and have Windows XP, then its at your best knowledge to do an upgrade for your operating system to Windows 7 or Windows Vista first before preceding to downloading Internet Explorer 9.

Resources:

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Explorer_8

2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Explorer_9

3. http://www.scsccbkk.org/IE9%20and%20IE8%20Compared.pdf

4. http://www.pcmag.com/article2/a/0,2817,2369160,00.asp

5. http://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-internet-explorer-8-ie8-and-internet-explorer-9-ie9/