IE9 Platform Preview 4 showcased, heightens curiosity for Beta

By Anonya Roy   |   Monday, 30 August 2010, 22:18 IST
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Bangalore: The development of the Internet Explorer 9 (IE9) that was started in March this year, has reached to its final frontier. With the Beta version expected to launch in mid-September, we got to experience the Platform Preview 4 (PP4) of the IE9 here in Microsoft's Technology Center. Let us take you through to what the IE9 holds for you. Although we did not get to see how the actual interface would look like, we were informed about many exciting features that the IE9 would pack in. Keeping with its initial word of delivering the HTML5 experience, the IE9 has the still evolving HTML5 that supports scalable vector graphics (SVG) and will make use of the underutilized assets of a machine like the GPU to provide enhanced performance. IE9 also uses the GPU of the machine to render better animation. From the typography point of view, the SVG along with the CSS3 and Web Open Font Format (WOFF) will allow users to create and experiment with their own fonts. The IE9 further improvises the JavaScript engine by integrating it into the core browser components. The rewritten JavaScript engine, codenamed Chakra, is moved inside IE9. This makes the communication between browser and script engine direct. It combines the interpretation and compilation code that makes it faster than interpretation code. The IE9, however, can be run only on systems with Windows Vista or Windows 7 operating systems. Systems running on Windows XP will not support IE9. The PP4 is in all probability the last platform preview of IE9. With this release, Microsoft looks all geared up for the Beta release next month. Here's hoping IE9, with its umpteen changes and updates from its earlier versions, redefines the browser wars.