14 DAY TRIAL // If you're trying to determine what the best browser on the market is, it pretty much depends on whom you ask. Net Applications, for example, clearly one of the most popular market researchers out there, says that Internet Explorer is the undisputed leader in the browser sector with a share of 58.38 percent in June 2014.
Google Chrome is far behind with only 19.34 percent, according to the same batch of stats, while Firefox is third with 15.54 percent.
As far as versions are concerned, Internet Explorer 8 leads the pack with 21.25 percent, followed by Internet Explorer 11 with 17.01 percent and Google Chrome 35 with 12.50 percent. IE9 and IE10 are next with 9.03 and 6.37 percent, respectively.
As you can see, Internet Explorer is clearly the top browser in Net Applications' statistics, and while some people might not agree with these figures, there's no doubt that many companies and organizations are still relying on Microsoft's in-house browser to access the Internet and some applications.
In fact, that's also one of the reasons why Microsoft implemented the enterprise mode in Internet Explorer 11, offering users backwards compatibility with Internet Explorer 8.
Since IE8 is at this point the world's number one browser, such a feature clearly comes in handy, especially when talking about company apps that only run on older versions of the applications.
Here is Microsoft's official description of Enterprise Mode:
“Enterprise Mode, a compatibility mode that runs on Internet Explorer 11 on Windows 8.1 Update and Windows 7 devices, lets websites render using a modified browser configuration that’s designed to emulate Internet Explorer 8, avoiding the common compatibility problems associated with web apps written and tested on older versions of Internet Explorer.
“The improved compatibility provided by Enterprise Mode can help give customers confidence to upgrade to the latest version of Internet Explorer. In particular, Internet Explorer 11 lets customers benefit from modern web standards, increased performance, improved security, and better reliability.”
Microsoft is also planning to deliver a revamped version of Internet Explorer in the coming years, with some information provided by the company itself pointed to significant improvements that might be part of IE12.
At this point, there are no details as to when the next version of the browser is expected to be launched, but the upcoming Windows 9 operating system could be the perfect timing for the introduction of a completely new browser featuring a major overhaul.