Users will be delivered with the latest flavor of IE9

Dec 15, 2011 14:45 GMT  ·  By

Today, Microsoft announced a major change in its strategy related to offering new flavors of Internet Explorer to users: the introduction of automatic upgrades.

This change is meant to ensure that Window users take advantage of the latest Internet Explorer (IE) version out there.

The move will kick off in January in Australia and Brazil, and will expand over time to more markets around the world. The one condition to benefit from it is to have automatic updating turned on in Windows.

“This is an important step in helping to move the Web forward. We will start in January for customers in Australia and Brazil who have turned on automatic updating via Windows Update,” Ryan Gavin, general manager, Internet Explorer Business and Marketing, explains.

“As always, when upgrading from one version of Internet Explorer to the next through Windows Update, the user’s home page, search provider, and default browser remains unchanged.”

One of the consequences of this new approach to upgrading Internet Explorer would be the delivery of increased protection when surfing the web, by keeping users safe from malicious software such as malware via an up-to-date browsing experience.

“We want to make updating to the best protection possible as fast and simple as we can for Windows customers. IE is how millions of Windows customers connect to the Web, so keeping that part of Windows updated at all times is critical to keeping them safe online,” Ryan Gavin continues.

Turning on automatic updates via Windows Update means that users will be receiving the new Internet Explorer 9 (IE 9) browser, as well as future flavors of the application without experiencing “update fatigue” issues.

Moreover, the move will ensure that developers and online businesses too will rely on a better browser, capable of delivering a richer experience.

For those users and enterprises who would like to opt out of having their browser updated to the latest version, Microsoft has made available for download Blocker Toolkits for both Internet Explorer 8 and Internet Explorer 9.

These utilities are meant to prevent the Internet Explorer browser from automatically upgrading via the Windows Updater, provided that users do not want them to.

“Similarly, customers who have declined previous installations of IE8 or IE9 through Windows Update will not be automatically updated,” Gavin continues.

‘Customers have the ability to uninstall updates and continue to receive support for the version of IE that came with their copy of Windows. And similar to organizations, consumers can block the update all together and upgrade on their own.”

He also notes that future flavors of Internet Explorer will provide users with the option to opt-out of automatic updates straight from the browser.

You can download Internet Explorer 9 from Softpedia via this link.

Internet Explorer 8 (Softpedia Edition) is available here.

The aforementioned Blocker Toolkit for Internet Explorer can be found here.