Internet Explorer 8 Hits The Streets [UPDATED]
Microsoft has posted Internet Explorer 8 on its website for those who want to update to the latest and greatest web browser from the evil empire. Although the fact that it was hacked shortly before its release may have you thinking if you want to run at all in the short term until some patches appear. But if it were up to Microsoft, their public relations sock puppets people would have you focus on the following:
In response to extensive customer research and input from tens of millions of customer sessions, Microsoft developed Internet Explorer 8 to focus on what matters most to people. The security enhancements offer protection against existing and emerging security threats online. It blocks two to four times more malware attacks than other browsers; cuts down on the time it takes to complete common tasks on the Web such as searching, mapping and sharing, including navigating 15 of the 20 top worldwide sites; and blurs the lines between the services they use daily and the browser used to access the Internet.
That seems to be validated by at least one reviewer who says that:
This latest version of Microsoft’s browser leapfrogs its closest competition, Firefox 3, for basic browsing and productivity features — it has better tab handling, a niftier search bar, a more useful address bar, and new tools that deliver information directly from other Web pages and services. IE8 has also been tweaked for security and includes a so-called “porn mode,” new anti-malware protection, and better ways to protect your privacy.
Hey, I’m all for things that make my life easier. Plus the “porn mode” is a handy thing to keep the missus from finding out about your love for bigbootygirls.com.
In any case, now that IE 8 is out I can now say “Let the browser wars begin!”
UPDATE: The Washington Post has a different view of Internet Explorer 8.
March 20, 2009 at 8:42 am
I installed it on my wife’s machine. That is about it 🙂