Microsoft launches Internet Explorer 9

Internet Explorer - nine full versions old
Internet Explorer - nine full versions old

Internet Explorer 9 will be available for the public to download at 4am GMT on 15 March, with the next-generation browser representing a huge step for Microsoft's browser.

IE9 has already been a big hit for Microsoft through its beta stages, with a massive focus on HTML5 and web standards winning plaudits, and the company is keen to show that it deserves its number-one spot in the browser market.

Microsoft has made mainly tweaks from the RC and beta versions, with the fully-baked next-generation browser now ready for public usage.

Partners

"What has changed since the IE9 beta is the number of partners that have come on board," UK Internet Explorer lead Julia Owen told TechRadar

"We've made some changes to the standards we're supporting and also added in ActiveX filtering and we've also added in some privacy changes."

IE9

The privacy changes are perhaps the most significant with the introduction of Tracking Protection and Tracking protection Lists sure to raise some debate, and the inclusion of ActiveX filtering and InPrivate browsing support from pinned sites welcome arrivals.

Automatic dismissal

Other changes include the automatic dismissal of less important notifications, with higher priority alerts prioritised, tabs in a separate row – allowing more space for open tabs – and allowing pinned sites to have more than one homepage.

As TechRadar's IE9 review states, for those with IE8 there are some major changes that significantly improve Internet Explorer.

It will be fascinating to see if the latest Microsoft browser can win over the public and ensure that powerful challengers like Google's Chrome and Apple's Safari, along with the ever-popular Firefox, can be held at arm's length.

Patrick Goss

Patrick Goss is the ex-Editor in Chief of TechRadar. Patrick was a passionate and experienced journalist, and he has been lucky enough to work on some of the finest online properties on the planet, building audiences everywhere and establishing himself at the forefront of digital content.  After a long stint as the boss at TechRadar, Patrick has now moved on to a role with Apple, where he is the Managing Editor for the App Store in the UK.