Confessions of Diehard Chrome user

Before we start our steganography deciphering contest, I have a confession to make. As an avid fan of the ultra fast Google Chrome browser, I will admit to you all that the idea of leaving the good’ol dependable Chrome has been playing in my mind for a few weeks now. That’s right my fellow netizens, I am having thoughts of leaving Google Chrome and switching to this latest browser: Microsoft Internet Explorer 9.

Last week, I tried to visit an old website that I used to browse. To my dismay, a blank page confronted my eager eyes. I was naturally puzzled and confused. “Was the page gone or just some browser failure?” I thought to myself. I, then, tried it on my archaic internet explorer 7 and to my amazement, the site greeted me in its full glory. It was exactly how I wanted It to be.

The incident led me to think why have I chosen Chrome over Internet Explorer before? Was it because of the tab browsing feature? Or the faster loading speed? Or both? Whatever the reason it doesn’t really seem to matter, especially now that IE9 has, reportedly, the same—in fact much improved—features.

After this epiphany, I consulted with my IT specialist friend. My friend told me that IE9 is so far the best web browser to date. At first I was in disbelief but after doing some research online, I raised my hands in the air and concurred.

The new revamped Internet Explorer is easy on the eye with its clean and neat layout. It is a click away in accessing websites pinned directly to the taskbar. The pinned sites feature is a unique way of accessing your favorite websites directly from the Windows taskbar. In short, it enhances the web experience because by pinning a site, the site—not the browser—is at the center of the experience.

My blog is now properly rendered in IE9:


The backward and forward button is now cooler than ever!


If your website is not displayed properly in IE9 because it’s designed for older browsers, just like old websites that only works with the obsolete IE6, then just press this magic button as show below.


If you want to read all beautiful features of IE9, click here.

With IE9, the Notifications are also “quited down” in this version. Instead of the traditional dialog boxes that pop up from nowhere, IE9 has made consolidated all notification messages in a designated notification bar. This means uninterrupted and more fluid browsing experience.

In terms of performance, the IE9 is experientially more improved. Windows Internet Explorer 9 is as quick and responsive as normal windows applications installed on your computer (e.g., Yahoo mail could perform as fast as your Outlook express). The browser is also fast in loading webpages. Internet Explorer 9 can load webpages in an instant and at a few clicks only (still, it depends on the speed of your Internet Service Provider). Now that is really a “major major” improvement.

As for videos and graphics, the IE9 offers richer internet experience with its Hardware-accelerated feature. The advanced graphic and video capabilities provide a heigtened viewing experience. Graphics are said to be clearer and more colorful and videos run in high definition resolution. Btw, for 64-bit OS users, flash won’t work on IE9 if you don’t have the latest Adobe Flash Player (Released yesterday, July 13, 2011).

Of course the new JavaScript engine, Chakra, and the f12 Developer tools are added highlights of the new IE9. The new JavaScript engine capitalizes on the power of modern multicore processors. The f12 developer tools help developers in testing and debugging webpages. The built-in tool can make code changes from within the browser itself. Also new in the IE9 are the user-agent switching tool, an improved JavaScript profiler, and a network traffic inspector. You can also add more IE9 Addons, just like the Chrome Plugins.

Lastly, the IE9 is not just all about speed and performance. The people behind the new Internet Explorer know that security and privacy are also in the top priorities of netizens. Hence, IE9 made use of cutting edge securtiy and privacy technology to keep user safer and reassured online. The tracking protection is just one example of their innovative ways in ensuring privacy in browsing. The Tracking Protection Lists blocks off web content that may be used tracking users online.

So to put it simply, Internet Explorer 9 is clearly better (than before), but may still not be the best, because I can’t deny the fact that Chrome is still the best (because of its speed and simplicity) and Firefox is still my main browser for web development and design, because it’s feature-packed with the tools that I need for web work. IE9’s new javascript engine is no doubt better than Firefox and Chrome. But still, it doesn’t 100% support HTML5 (for instance, it doesn’t support HTML5’s hgroup tag), but i know this can be fixed as IE is doing its best to improve its features and W3C compliance to keep up with the browser wars.

In terms of features and performance, IE9 has definitely catched up. What can I say? Being a Chromer for years, I’d have to say this is really a bit of fresh air for me. This also means that its time for me to say goodbye to the dependable “IE tab Chrome Extension” for real.

Haven’t tried IE9 yet? Download it here, or click the image below to try and experience IE9 (If you haven’t tried it yet, because you’re a Chrome and Firefox enthusiast).


If you have tried IE9, please share your thoughts below regarding this new and improved browser from Microsoft.