Today at a packed out keynote for Microsoft’s Professional Developers Conference (PDC) Microsoft’s Ray Ozie hinted at the next generation of Internet Explorer.
According to sources close to Neowin, Microsoft VP Steven Sinofsky is set to unveil the software giants plans for Internet Explorer 9 tomorrow. Neowin understands that the company is planning a technical preview of Internet Explorer 9 for developers and customers, but that the bits and preview may not be available immediately.
Some Features:
– On HTML 5: Microsoft was coy about whether it would support all of the HTML 5 standards, the next generation of HTML. The company doesn’t seem willing to commit to the standard until it is set in stone, but “wants to be responsible” about supporting it.
– On Javscript: They admit that their previous browsers don’t match the speed of Firefox or Chrome . However, it appears that IE9 looks to narrow this gap. From some of the data they presented, it looks like they’re getting closer to matching the other browsers (though they don’t beat them).
– On CSS Support: It looks like IE9 will finally get better CSS support, especially for rounded corners. It’s a disappointment though, when you consider the other browsers have supported these things for years.
– On Hardware Acceleration: IE9 will utilize DirectX hardware acceleration to improve graphic and AJAX rendering. It will push more work towards the GPU. This is actually looks pretty slick from first appearances.