Microsoft is moving full steam ahead with its newest browser IE 8. In a world once dominated by IE, Microsoft is now finding stiff competition. Firefox and now Chrome are starting to take a serious bite out of Microsoft's market share. IE 8 which was shown off in its RC 1 flavor and shown to be feature complete. This means that Microsoft has locked down the code to new features and will only focus on refining and polishing its product.
Many of the features that were expected are still present including private mode, enhanced search functions, keyboard navigation and adaptive zoom. A few things were left out that are disappointing include javascript rendering enhancements and CSS compatibility.
The browser is still a solid advancement for the IE platform despite the lack of some features the competitors already incorporate. With the new browser one must wonder if it's too little to late; can this new browser regain the lost market share IE once held?
Acid 3 is important, but Acid 2 is the most important of the acid tests imo. All browsers now pass that.
Having IE pass Acid 2 means the CSS handling is much improved, and pretty close to consistent across browsers. No test can single handedly determine a browsers standards support, but Acid 2 covered a lot of the CSS2 specification. Acid 3 is more of a Javascript test, and tbh I haven't had many JS inconsistency problems, especially since I started using jquery which handles them accordingly.
That being said, IE8 will be the only major browser not to score over 90 on the Acid 3 test. Its rendering time is, for lack of a better word, embarrassing. And if you don't develop websites, don't comment on that, because you probably won't be hit by it.
Don't you think you are being a bit biased? Later in the article it clearly states
Impressed?
Me neither. IE7 apparently scores the same 12/100 (not sure if IE7 experiences the many minute delay and jump, or if that is one of the improvements made in IE
Impressed?
Me neither. IE7 apparently scores the same 12/100 (not sure if IE7 experiences the many minute delay and jump, or if that is one of the improvements made in IE
On 7 5956 here, ie8 in native standards mode got 12 on acid3 and in ie7/old rendering style it got a 6
And, as has been stated so many times: that was not an aim of IE8, nor is it the be-all and end-all of standards testing.
Acid3 does not focus on testing CSS 2.1, which is what was much improved in IE8.
If you want to see Acid3 improvements, wait for IE9.
ie8 rc1 actually scores 21 on acid3
wait for it to jump from 12 to 21
wait for it to jump from 12 to 21
Perhaps you missed the very first several words of the ACID 3 test page? You know, where it says
Acid 3 is important, but Acid 2 is the most important of the acid tests imo. All browsers now pass that.
Having IE pass Acid 2 means the CSS handling is much improved, and pretty close to consistent across browsers. No test can single handedly determine a browsers standards support, but Acid 2 covered a lot of the CSS2 specification. Acid 3 is more of a Javascript test, and tbh I haven't had many JS inconsistency problems, especially since I started using jquery which handles them accordingly.
That being said, IE8 will be the only major browser not to score over 90 on the Acid 3 test. Its rendering time is, for lack of a better word, embarrassing. And if you don't develop websites, don't comment on that, because you probably won't be hit by it.
Very informative. Thanks.
Having just 12 for a test like that is really atrocious. I would say the same for 50, but 12? I don't have enough words in mind to explain how much it blows, especially for a beta of something that will be released eventually. I think Opera, Safari and Firefox betas all pass the test already. There's no way to explain a 12.
Why work on CSS 2.1 while you don't even respect CSS 1.0 and 2.0 standards ?
The best part of IE is the longest list of vulnerabilities, eats your time the best, imminent crashes, takes time to load a new tab (WTF? not instantly!), Active-X hell and it goes on and on. Most browsers have at least 2x+ less problems than IE.
Are revised Web Standards unreasonable to satisfy in a timely fashion?
Moreover, how should we define "timely"?
No one is shipping (aka has completed) a browser that passes Acid 3 yet, which is exactly why that blitz of news about Webkit and Wingogi 7-8 months ago was mostly pointless BS.
That's what i thought when reading the article.
I'm a Firefox user but i think IE8 will be very good.
I'm a Firefox user but i think IE8 will be very good.
I agree.
Then you have yet to try Firefox 3.1, Opera 9.62, Opera 10 alpha and Google Chrome 1.0
What? WHAT? Maybe I'm missing something, but that should be the top priority, unless it's ACID 3 related stuff changes....
The quote is mostly false: they are two things that the IE team certainly worked on (JS and CSS 2.1).
Not to the extent of the other browsers, but they are tied by having to work with an older product and supporting older websites.
I like FF3, Opera and Chrome.
Firefox is great, but the Awesome Bar is anything but, and it doesn't look like there will be option of going back to the old way without the use of extensions that really don't work like FF2 used to.
So.. I am looking to switch browsers after 4 years of Firefox, as it is going in a direction that I simply don't like and FF2 support is ending shortly.
Say doesn't google use web standards?
There's so many things IE needed to fix and hope (though doubt) they've fixed. I have their developers Virtual PC with IE8 Beta 2 and honestly didn't find anything to be all that excited about in my limited testing of it. And a 12/100 on the Acid3 test?! Come on ...
Regardless, havnt used IE for years an wont use it a gain.
In a world once dominated by IE...
Oops! IE still has the largest browser share!!!
...Chrome [is] starting to take a serious bite out of Microsoft's market share.
Please! I almost spit coffee all over my screen I was laughing so hard! People deserve more credit than that! Chrome isn't even a blip on the radar.
can this new browser regain the lost market share IE once held?
The simple answer is No. Microsoft can't have the market share it had before because the EU would jump down their throat and accuse them of more crimes they didn't commit. Besides that, the biased anti-Microsoft people need options. FF had to be good enough to lure people away from IE, people aren't going to keep switching back and forth.
IE8 will be a great upgrade for all existing IE users.
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