Internet Explorer

It had been a long time since Microsoft had needed to upgrade its browser, as it had been losing ground to its archival rival, the "fox browser." The eighth version of Internet Explorer comes with a fresh look and a host of new features that will make your browsing smarter and more interactive. Instead of being a browser that just waits for your command, IE now “thinks” of the best way to please the user.

The overall goals of the browser remain the same, providing security, ease of use and, most notably, improvements in web development - so much so that version 8 is also recommended for web designers and programmers. Another focus of the new IE is RSS feed support and interoperability, allowing you to work with other browsers easily for more flexible programming models.

PLEASE NOTE: This download is for Windows XP only . If you use Vista, click here to go to the appropriate Internet Explorer 8 download page.

BRAND NEWS

It is no exaggeration to say that Internet Explorer 8 is smarter than its predecessors. Although it contains few innovations compared to its competitors, the browser is faster, easier to use, and features a number of new features that make it easier and better for the user to experience the program, shortening previously cumbersome paths and offering shortcuts that didn't exist.

Accelerators

Like a text and want to copy it to your blog? Accelerators allow you to quickly post to your blog with the selected text. Interested in the Netbook rated by Baixaki? Simple! Select a word and click the accelerator button to find it in your favorite store.

Acting as a special context menu for Internet Explorer, the accelerator function displays dozens of applications that act as shortcuts to the tasks users usually perform when surfing the internet.

To access them, all you have to do is select the text you want on any site, waiting for the accelerators button to appear. Then just click on it and check the options present in each one.

The most interesting thing is to search for available accelerators, so you can select the ones that you will most use when navigating. You can perform quick searches of snippets found on the internet, locate address maps and various other functions, which are only limited to your imagination.

Search bar

Several enhancements have been incorporated into the IE search bar. Now several places for you to search are available, and dozens more that can be added at any time by the user. And it doesn't stop there: Until you hit Enter or click on the magnifying glass, the search bar will display results suggestions, which is extremely useful when you only know part of the name of what you're looking for, for example.

Say no to eavesdroppers

The time when you could have your privacy invaded is over. Internet Explorer 8 has the InPrivate function, which prevents the storage of any information about your browsing habits. History, temporary files, cookies, and passwords are not recorded while you have InPrivate mode turned on. So when you finish what you are doing, just close the browser and it will “forget” what you have done.

This feature is especially useful for computers in internet cafes, airports, shopping malls, and any other access point where there are many prying eyes poking around, eager to discover the sites you've been visiting.

To enable InPrivate , open a new IE tab and click the "Open InPrivate Browsing Window" link. Note that an image will be inserted into the address bar so you know you are browsing in privacy mode. Whatever is done on this tab is not saved anywhere.

Smart address bar

Having to enter the full address each time you visit a website becomes extremely annoying after a short while. According to its history, IE always displayed some addresses that corresponded with the characters you typed. However, this function was not performed satisfactorily and in version 8 was completely overhauled. The browser now displays a more organized list of addresses that match the text you type.

With this evolution, you no longer need to remember the exact links from the pages you have already visited, as the browser does it for you. Notice that on the Baixaki page, for example, the message “Downloading software and games” appears at the top of the window. This means that after visiting Baixaki for the first time, you can find it on an upcoming visit by simply typing “Download” or “software” in the Address Bar, which makes your browsing much faster.

The Evolution of Feeds

If you often visit pages with frequently updated content, such as news sites, you no longer need to go to them when there is news. WebSlices let you see “slices” of the pages you visit the most, only with content that has been updated.

Ugly sites, never again!

No one has ever been annoyed to refresh their favorite browser and after that see various websites showing strange characters, image positioning errors and other display issues. Internet Explorer 8 comes with “Compatibility Mode”, which makes sites scheduled for previous versions display perfectly in version 8.

Visibly subtle modifications

The tab system, included since version 7, is even better. When you open a new tab, you will see a number of additional options, such as reopening previously closed tabs - useful for accidental closures. If you have closed Internet Explorer and not just a tab, simply click the "Reopen Last Browsing Session" link and the browser will open the websites you were visiting before.

* You can also open a tab already with InPrivate mode enabled or use an accelerator to enter one of the registered sites, with the text you have copied to the clipboard.

Internet Explorer 8 contains many innovations compared to its previous versions, but virtually none compared to competitors. Mozilla Firefox had copied tabbed browsing (or tabs, as they are called in IE), the add-on system, and many other functions present natively in Firefox, or by installing extensions.

Despite having a quick installation, Internet Explorer still needs a system reboot before it can be used, as it is fully integrated with the operating system (unlike competitors, which once installed can be used without rebooting). Windows). It should also be noted the slow opening of the "tabs", which in Firefox is practically instantaneous.

In any case, Microsoft's browser is used by the overwhelming majority of internet users, as its interface is friendlier from installation to displaying error messages (which are the seven-headed bug for most Internet users).

Thus, we cannot undermine the efforts of the software giant, which has increasingly focused its efforts on making more accessible, faster and easier programs available. Internet Explorer is not perfect (no program is), but it is coming close and promises to recover the users it lost to the competition.