14 DAY TRIAL // Windows 8’s Internet Explorer 10 browser was designed to provide users with a much faster experience than before, and Microsoft is making sure that we’re aware of that. In a recent blog post, the company explains that IE10 could offer up to 30 percent faster loading of web pages when it comes to websites that switched to Standards Mode.
Internet Explorer 9 also shows similar speed gains, all due to the work the Redmond-based company has been doing with developers to get their sites ready for the upcoming browser.
“Like web standards, browsers evolve, and our approach to the browser continues to evolve. With IE10, our work with developers is focused on writing HTML5 & CSS3 code that works reliably in all modern browsers including Chrome, Firefox, and IE,” Microsoft’s Justin Garrett explains.
These web standards can result not only in improved performance being experienced by users, but also in reduced development costs and simplified testing across browsers and devices, he notes.
All browsers come with the Standards Mode set as default rendering mode, which means that all feature the same implementation of web standards.
Additionally, Internet Explorer arrives with a compatibility mode that is meant to offer access to websites that have been designed for older versions of the browser.
“This was particularly helpful in the past when it was a common practice to first detect a browser and then serve code meant only for it,” Justin Garrett continues.
However, given the fact that standards code is being displayed similarly in all modern browsers, IE9 and IE10 included, said practice is no longer used.
The performance of websites has been improved lately as well, which was of great impact on users. Many people don’t return to a website if it has slow web page loading, which could affect sales, while also hurting its credibility.
In the aforementioned blog post, Microsoft offers info on what developers need to do to get their websites ready to run in Standards Mode
“It may mean changing a single line of code or a simple upgrade, and it can make a noticeable performance difference on your site too,” Garrett explains.