14 DAY TRIAL // It’s unlikely the Internet Explorer 9 will natively support mouse gestures, since Microsoft hasn’t really warmed up to such functionality with the existing iteration of its proprietary browser. However, while users could certainly put mouse gestures support for IE9 on their wish list, there is already an add-on offering this type of capabilities for Internet Explorer 8. Appropriately dubbed Mouse Gestures for Internet Explorer, the add-on developed by Ralph Hare comes with Microsoft’s recommendation, not only in terms of how it manages to expand the browser, but also in terms of quality.
“Mouse Gestures is compiled in both 32-bit and 64-bit flavors (installed individually) making the gestures add-on one of the very few available for 64-bit IE. The add-on works in all versions of IE and I’ve personally used it on Windows XP, Server 2003, Vista, Server 2008, and Windows 7 without problems,” revealed Eric Lawrence, IE PM. “The 32bit and 64bit installers together weigh in just under 1 megabyte. The add-on is packaged using the same NSIS installer that I use to install Fiddler.”
According to the Redmond company, there are a number of aspects recommending the Mouse Gestures for Internet Explorer for users searching an alternative model to interact with their copy IE, the last of which is the fact that the add-on is offered for free. Lawrence explained that the add-on in question could act as a perfect example of an IE extension respecting all the best practices set in place by the software giant for add-on development.
Mouse Gestures for Internet Explorer will not modify any of the settings that the end user has in place, while being stable and delivering no impact on the overall performance of IE. At the same time, it offers a plethora of customization options, allowing users to associate various gestures with specific browser actions, and even to bind a JavaScript file to an action, as Lawrence noted.
“Mouse Gestures add-on is clearly a labor of love, and Ralph makes it available for free. If you’d like, you can help defray his web hosting costs using the unobtrusive “Donate via Paypal” link buried at the bottom of his site,” he added “If you’re willing to get hooked on a new way of interacting with your browser, give Ralph’s Mouse Gestures add-on a try, and join me in thanking Ralph Hare for his great work!”
Mouse Gestures for Internet Explorer is available for download here.
Internet Explorer 8 (IE8) RTW is available for download here (for 32-bit and 64-bit flavors of Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008).