14 DAY TRIAL // Windows Blue, the first major upgrade for Windows 8, will most likely pack the final version of Internet Explorer 11, the next important release of Microsoft's in-house browser that's reportedly under development right now.
In addition to tab syncing and a download manager, Microsoft is also planning to bring WebGL support in the upcoming version of Internet Explorer, probably because its app is losing ground in the fight with the other browsers when it comes to web-based games and other services relying on this technology.
Web developer Francois Remy has come across some evidence that WebGL support could be part of the next Internet Explorer release, even though it doesn't work in the leaked build of Windows Blue.
“I didn’t get webgl working, even by trying using iesl, hlsl and other combinations. So, it seems like WebGL interfaces are defined but not functional at this time,” he wrote.
While this is clearly an improvement for Internet Explorer users, it's still unclear whether Microsoft wants to bring such a feature in the final version of the browser or not. Back in 2011, the company explained that WebGL has only slight chances to be implemented into IE due to the fact that it was a vulnerable technology that could make its browser hackable.
It might seem like Microsoft has had a change of heart, most likely because it’s struggling to make Internet Explorer one of the fastest browsers on the market.
While both Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer's fiercest rivals, are already offering WebGL support, Microsoft's own browser lacks such a feature, so it's clearly a lot slower as compared to its rivals when it comes to dealing with such content.
More information will most likely be provided in just a few months, as Microsoft has suggested that a public beta of Blue could arrive in time for the BUILD developer conference scheduled to take place in late June. The full version of the next operating system is reportedly prepared to go live two months later, in August.