Comments on: Hands-on with IE 8: A giant step for Microsoft

Internet Explorer 8 takes another large leap forward for the world's most-used browser, but is it enough to make devoted Firefox, Chrome, and Safari fans switch?

[Joseph Moody]

Just a word of caution! Though this browser has been officially launched, I have been informed by my bank (Banco do Brasil), that the Internet Banking is not ready and tested. Therefore, if you do banking or other secure business using your browser, you might want to check this out before going to all the trouble to install and upgrade, only to then later find you can't do your regular business. I was told to check again next week (which I will do, before installing).

[raghavsg11]

help gya

[bobbyphoenix]

OK I have used FF, Safari, Chrome, Avant, Lunascape5, and IE8 in all their Beta-ness in the last month, and now IE8 stable. I switch back and forth during the day many times, and I find myselft coming back to IE8. Yes it is a tad bit slower (After I clicked "enter" on CNET.COM IE8 took a wee bit longer to load the entier site as compared to the others, but not enough to say "Wow, boy is it slow"), and it can use a little more customization, but for surfing the net, I find it the most enjoyable. I almost never use add-ons for anything. I just use a browser to browse, so all the added bells and whistles aren't needed for me. To me I say go with what you like, and what works for you.

[bobbyphoenix]

OK I have used FF, Safari, Chrome, Avant, Lunascape5, and IE8 in all their Beta-ness in the last month, and now IE8 stable. I switch back and forth during the day many times, and I find myselft coming back to IE8. Yes it is a tad bit slower (After I clicked "enter" on CNET.COM IE8 took a wee bit longer to load the entier site as compared to the others, but not enough to say "Wow, boy is it slow"), and it can use a little more customization, but for surfing the net, I find it the most enjoyable. I almost never use add-ons for anything. I just use a browser to browse, so all the added bells and whistles aren't needed for me. To me I say go with what you like, and what works for you.

[networking_essentials]

Using Vista which is bad enough, IE8 has crashed my machine 9 times with Microsoft's newest marvel. It has been on my machine for a grand total of 1 hour and 10 minutes. And they are pushing Windows 7. I might go Mac...

[whozzit]

That's pretty bad, my friend. It must be your choice of machines or something to that effect. I've got three machines (running XP Professional, Vista Home Premium and Vista Ultimate along with IE8) and my "crahing days" were over back in Windows 3.11... I think that you need a new machine.

[Magallanes]

anyone have some troubles with this new version?.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3475/3369794755_a2982381d1_o.jpg

(check the buttons).

[Gecco2003]

Personally for day to day browsing I am a Firefox user. However, I work in a corporate environment where IE is the supported internet browsing application. One major advantage that Firefox has over IE is its ability to control applications and links within a web page. For example, we use a email archiving tool that uses the browser to display archived messages. Sometimes one of these archived messages has an attachment that is another message that was forwarded. These are .EML messages. Starting with IE6.1 Microsoft decided it was a security risk to open .EML links with the associated Windows application (OE). So in their infinite wisdom MS decided it would be best if IE opens the link. We'll this produces a bunch of garbage. Firefox on the other hand give you the ability to choose how you want to handle applications. So in the case of .EML I simply go to Tools, Options, Applications section and instruct Firefox of what to do with the link. That's progressive thinking. Microsoft should follow suit.

[russkeller]

It's too bad Bill Buxton was not involved in IE8 Development. Sounds like he's one of the few voices of common sense that could have solved most of the user end headaches with the over produced products like IE8.

The interview Ina had with 'em makes me think there MS might have a chance of gaining back some measure of respect from consumers. I'm not holding my breath though. Unless they find an Army of guys like him that beat MS management to death with common sense they'll only continue to be a laughing stock of bad management.

[russkeller]

It's too bad Bill Buxton was not involved in IE8 Development. Sounds like he's one of the few voices of common sense that could have solved most of the end user headaches with the over produced products like IE8.

The interview Ina had with 'em makes me think there MS might have a chance of gaining back some measure of respect from consumers. I'm not holding my breath though. Unless they find an Army of guys like him that beat MS management to death with common sense they'll only continue to be a laughing stock of bad management.

[LaQuiet]

I f you can't download IE8 from Microsoft, go to filehippo.com and download from there.. Fast and simple. I use IE and have since day one and never had any probs with it, but I doubt I'll be using IE8 until they get the bugs worked out (Java). I tried FF but it confused the hell out of me from the start. I'm not a tyro when it comes to pc's but for some reason, I had a hard time understanding FF. It's probably just me because of using IE for so long.
LaQ

[jamesd24]

Installed IE 8, previously had the candiate 1 version of it everything was fine when I installed the version that was released yesterday had numerous issues when trying to open a news item or any link even on cnet,internet explorer has encountered a problem and must close something like that, just wondering if anyone else has had a similar issue, ended up unistalling going back ti IE 7

[cmcenearney]

i think this is a great release. in future versions i would love to see IE branch out into other areas like making toast and running the economy. it could do these things as poorly or perhaps, somehow, even more poorly than it browses the internet, and then everyone could keep using it despite the existence of vastly superior alternatives. i know it's a crazy dream, but i am a dreamer.

[shokry055]

it an emportant program

[AppleSuxLeo]

Like Paul Thurrotte stated on his podcast , these isolated "tests" of browser speed mean nothing.
What really matters is going to the most often used websites that millions of people use every day and see how it performs , and like him , I find that IE8 renders pages instantly. I love IE8. MSFT is far from dead.

[whozzit]

I'm with you. Runs like a charm. The only MS problem that I've come across since 1993 was Windows ME. But, hey... Everyone goofs up once in awhile.

If this is any prelude to what we can expect in Windows 7, count me out!

I see no performance improvement over IE7. And it continues to not play well with popular add-ons resulting in crimpling memory leaks.

Honestly, I'm not surprised. It is yet another chapter in the Microsoft's book of "BloatWare" and ?HypeWare?.

With all the time spent on development, is this really the best they could muster?

Very disappointing...

[whozzit]

I've never come across a "crimpling" memory leak in all my years. I'd patch it!

If this is any prelude to what we can expect in Windows 7, count me out!

I see no performance improvement over IE7. And it continues to not play well with popular add-ons resulting in crimpling memory leaks.

Honestly, I'm not surprised. It is yet another chapter in the Microsoft's book of "BloatWare" and ?HypeWare?.

With all the time spent on development, is this really the best they could muster?

Very disappointing...

[kubess]

I heard one joke yesterday...
Internet explorer...
HE HE HA HA HA HA

[haegertson]

I discovered it will not load onto an HP Pavilion dv3510nr. The dialog says the operating system is not compatible. This is a 3-month-old 64 bit, all the bells and whistles machine. What could be wrong?

[whozzit]

I think that there are 32 bit and 64 bit versions of IE8...

[whozzit]

I think that there are 32 bit and 64 bit versions of IE8... And there is an emulation layer that exists in 64 bit OS's that is supposed to allow them to run 32 bit applications. There may be a problem in your machine.

[narbytrout]

I will stay with firefox... I do not care about microseconds of speed, I want a browser to work for ME. I prefer to personalize my browser.

[Ted Bruner]

I most certainly hope that they can/have come up with a cure for the constant flubbing; that is, I open with 8 tabs, mostly for weather and NASA. These utilize flash and Java for the weather maps in motion.

It does not matter if I shut down one-tab-at-a-time, or by clicking on the upper-right "X", the program halts, goes into a sort of stroke-like hanging and may-or may not - shut down. Usually I must 3key to force it to quit. Even when that does not happen, whenever I restart IE8, I get a warning and all the tabs are dumped and restarted.

It's a mess. So much so that I have basically switched to FireFox, which I'm not all that happy with in the first place.

I just got a new Toshiba with Vista and it comes with IE7, and I'm staying with it as long as I can hold out.

Sorry, but my experience ain't good.