14 DAY TRIAL // While Microsoft has yet to deliver the first Beta Build of Internet Explorer 9, Mozilla has already reached the development milestone with Firefox 4.0. The race is now on for the makers of the no.1 and no.2 browsers on the market to deliver the final versions of IE9 and Firefox 4.0. At stakes is the position of innovator vs. that of follower. And it is indisputable that Microsoft could, for once, really use gaining some extra points for the innovations built into IE9 by delivering the browser ahead of the final version of Firefox 4.0.
As far as Mozilla is concerned, Firefox 4.0 is planned for availability by the end of 2010. The Redmond company hasn’t made public any launch dates for Internet Explorer 9, only noting that the browser will hit milestones such as Beta, RC and RTM when it will be ready. But the software giant risks Firefox 4.0 becoming the focus of public perception as a leader in innovation, especially with IE9 sharing some of the same development goals: enhanced HTML5, better standards support, boosted performance, hardware acceleration, revamped UI, etc.
The last thing that Microsoft needs is to deliver a new browser that will be perceived, even though artificially, as already behind the curve. The evolution IE9 brings to the table will have its innovation factor eroded if the development process will be overextended, especially considering the rate at which rivals are jumping from one major version of their browsers to another.
Meanwhile, Firefox 4.0 is already here. “If you are using a Windows PC, the most noticeable new feature will be the look of the browser. We moved the tabs to the top to make it easier to focus on the web content and easier to control the tools in your Web browser. Also, if you have Windows 7 or Windows Vista the Menu bar was replaced with a single Firefox button so you can get to the most used options with just one click. These changes will be coming soon for Mac and Linux,” revealed Mozilla’s Director of Firefox Mike Beltzner.
Just like Firefox was prior to version 4.0, Internet Explorer is also in dire need of an UI overhaul. At this point in time, after three Platform Preview developer releases, Microsoft has yet to unveil its plans for the future evolution of Internet Explorer 9’s graphical user interface. Undoubtedly, a GUI redesign is also cooking for IE9, and most probably will be unveiled to the world with the first Beta Build.
Recently leaked documentation reportedly from Microsoft indicates that August 2010 might be the deadline for the first Beta development milestone of IE9. The software giant has yet to confirm a release date for IE9 Beta, or for the Release Candidate (RC) and RTM (release to manufacturing) milestones at this point in time.
Internet Explorer 9 Platform Preview 3 is now available, with IE9 having already been downloaded in excess of 2 million times since March 2010. Of course, IE9 Platform Preview is not a full browser, lacking a proper UI, and basic functionality such as an Address Bar and a Back button. But Firefox 4.0 Beta is closer to the finalized product, although Beltzner did warn that some of the features now available could be dropped from the final versions.
Beltzner also enumerated some of the new changes in Firefox 4.0 Beta 1:
“•New Add-Ons Manager: gives you more space to manage your Add-Ons, Themes and Plugins. •HD Video: Watch hardware-accelerated, super-smooth, HD-quality HTML5 video on YouTube using the new WebM format. •Privacy improvements: Mozilla always puts privacy first, and this latest beta fixes flaws in some Web standards that could expose your browser history. •Crash Protection: Experience uninterrupted browsing (now available on all platforms) – when a plugin crashes or freezes, you can resume browsing by simply refreshing the page. •Performance: We know that performance is important. In this version, we focused on improving responsiveness at start-up and during page loads. This is just the beginning for performance improvements in Firefox 4. •HTML5 Parser: Run the best Web apps of today and tomorrow – if a user’s browser doesn’t support HTML5, they still won’t miss out on your content. •WebSockets: Build real-time, online interactions like gaming and chatting. •IndexedDB: Use structured storage in your Web applications to speed them up or provide offline support. •Web Console: Peek into dynamic websites with this experimental “Heads Up Display” analysis tool. •Simpler Add-On Development: Authors can create Add-Ons that don’t require a restart to install, develop their Add-Ons more quickly using the new powerful Jetpack SDK, and safely connect to existing libraries using js-ctypes.”
Internet Explorer 9 (IE9) Platform Preview 3 Build 1.9.7.8.74.6000 is available for download here.
Firefox 4.0 Beta 1 is available for download here.