Internet Explorer 9 Brief First Impressions

Internet Explorer 9 (IE9) was just released and like many web developers we are curious how it stacks up to IE’s previous incarnations and other popular browsers. This is not intended to be a definitive guide or even an exhaustive analysis. But if you’re looking to upgrade and want a quick overview…please, read on.

User Experience

The Download and Install

Quick and easy, like most programs these days. It went relatively quickly and after the annoying required system restart I was up and running in IE9.

The Interface

Less is more seems to be the new catch-phrase around the Redmond office. The new interface is sparce and clean. The familiarly cluttered toolbars and somewhat clunky experience has given way to a slick, focused and decidedly unobtrussive experience. The most used features like the back button are now more prominent but not in the typical ‘look at me’ style the Microsoft has become known for. The interface really falls into the background letting the page you’re looking at take priority. But when you need it, it’s there without having to hunt for it.

Another new feature many users will enjoy is the ‘favorite’ or ‘quick start’ view. Which like Safari and Chrome displays your most visited sites in thumbnail view for quick easy access right when you open a new tab.

The Design

Reduction was the mantra for this version of IE. Everything that could be paired up and paired down…was. Microsoft has recently been promoting “The Beauty of the Web”. In keeping with that the new minimalistic design is not about how many pixels you have but rather what you do with them. You’ll find the few icons appropriately placed together in logical groups by task and the transparency of the window really lets the page you’re viewing shine. A far cry from the text-heavy menu bars of the past which were only useful to those who had their functions memorized.

Speed

A long drawn out technical paragraph hardly seems appropriate here. Especially when compared with previous versions…IE9 is fast. ’nuff said.

Search

Bing is the default but you can also choose Google if you wish. The most impressive part of the search is that, like many modern browsers, it is no longer a seperate box. The address bar and search bar have combined to just be the ‘where do you want to go’ bar. Type an address, a word or a phrase, it doesn’t matter, you’ll get there.

Developer experience

Code

Overall IE9 supports a vast amount of the new web standards including much of CSS 3 and HTML 5. There are a few widely supported things that they opted to leave out such as the text-shadow property but it’s still a giant step in the right direction for the team that always seemed to support the ‘less is more’ theory by just not providing the tools to do more. To learn more about what IE9 can do visit Microsoft’s IE9 Guide for Developers.

Acid 3 Test

The Acid 3 test has always been the linchpin of anti-ie arguments. A basic definition is: the Acid 3 test attempts to check a browser’s performance and compliance with a wide array of common web code stanards. Learn more about Acid 3 here.

Firefox’s latest browser scored a 94/100 (this article was written prior to the release of Firefox 4) and IE8 scored an abismal 20/100…hence developers’ constant cries against the browser’s adherence to web standards. With IE9, Microsoft successfully raised their score to 95/100, no small feat.

Tools

If you loved the developer tools in IE8 you’ll be excited to know they have not changed. If you’ve gotten used to devloping with tools like firebug you will still feel slightly underwhelmed with the experience of debugging front end issues. That said, there is an Add-ons Gallery similar to the other major browsers, and while it currently lacks a section devoted to developers, maybe that will change in the near future to expand the options for developing.

Summary

In summary IE9 is a great step for the world’s most widely used browser. If you’re a long time user of IE you’ll enjoy the new sleek interface, the quick response of the browser and the focused browsing experience. If you’re a fan of another browser like Firefox, Chrome, Safari or Opera you’ll likely not find a reason to switch but will find that IE no longer trails so far behind the pack of modern browsers.