14 DAY TRIAL // Internet Explorer 10 won’t be the only browser available for Windows 8 devices. It won’t be exclusive neither to the desktop mode in the upcoming OS, nor to the Metro UI.
We already know that, when it comes to desktop, Microsoft will allow for legacy applications to run on x86-based Windows 8 machines.
This means that users can easily install browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, Opera, and others on their desktop PCs running under the platforms. Tablet PCs based on the x86 architecture will also benefit from access to these apps.
When it comes to Windows on ARM, however, things will be a bit different, as the Metro UI will be the only environment available for users, which means that only Metro-Style applications will be available.
When it comes to web navigation and the Metro UI, users will enjoy the capabilities of Internet Explorer 10, but it appears that more options will be available as well.
Microsoft is enabling developers to come up with other browser options for Windows 8 as well, and has made available for download a new document describing the process of building such an application.
“A desktop browser that chooses to participate in the new Metro style experience when the user has expressed preference for the browser to do so. Such a browser can provide HTML5 rendering for webpages and service HTTP / HTTPS requests,” Microsoft explains.
“By definition, such a browser has full access to Win32 APIs for rendering HTML5, including the ability to use multiple background processes, JIT compiling, and other distinctly browser-related functionality (like background downloading of files). Desktop browsers typically run at medium or low integrity level.”
On supported machines, the same browser will be able to run both as a Metro app and in the desktop mode, Microsoft states. For that, the browser will have to be set as default on the Windows 8-powered computer.
“In Windows 8 Consumer Preview, the browser that the user sets as the “default” for handling web pages and associated protocols may be designed to access both the Metro style experience as well as the traditional desktop experience,” Microsoft explains.
Only one browser will be set as the default browser in Windows 8, the same as in previous flavors of Windows. Moreover, any browser designed for the Windows 8 Consumer Preview using the Metro UI will have to provide users with control over their browser preferences.
The aforementioned document can be found on Microsoft’s website. The new Windows 8 Consumer Preview build 8250 is available for download from Softpedia via this link.