Internet explorer-beta

Its browser was largely unchallenged in the early part of this decade, but since the arrival of the Firefox browser from Mozilla, Microsoft has accelerated development of new versions of Internet Explorer to stabilize its eroding market share and address the central role the Web has assumed in computing and daily life. As recently as 2004, Internet Explorer had more than 90 percent of the browser market.
In July, IE’s market share was 73 percent, Firefox had 19 percent and Apple’s Safari had 6 percent, according to Net Applications. The increased competition comes at a time when more people are using the Web for more sophisticated and sensitive activities, and demanding more from browsers. ”People are now more than ever participating in the Web,” said James Pratt, Internet Explorer product manager. “Everybody has their suite of sites and services that make the Web unique to them.”

Microsoft has added several features to the so-called beta 2 test release of IE8, which is available in English, German, Simplified Chinese and Japanese, and can be downloaded free by anyone at http://www.microsoft.com/ie8. A finished version of the browser is due by January, two years after the launch of IE7. IE8 includes new navigation features, tools to gather bits of content from around the Web and privacy enhancements that have caused concern among advertisers and Web publishers. To improve user privacy on the Internet, Microsoft is introducing “InPrivate Browsing.”

The feature allows a user to start a browsing session during which the history of sites they view, temporary Internet files and so-called cookies - small pieces of code added to a browser for tracking purposes - will not be recorded. ”An example might be you’re searching for a surprise gift for a loved one, you’re using a shared PC in an Internet cafe,” Pratt said. Some bloggers have nicknamed the feature “porn mode.” A complementary feature is “InPrivate Blocking.” It allows a user to see when a third-party content provider might be tracking their activities on the Web. Many sites include content, such as stock prices, advertisements or weather information, from third-parties.

“That’s the business model for the Web. That’s how the Web is funded today in many cases,” Pratt said. Those third parties, which commonly provide content to many different Web pages, can track and aggregate an individual’s browsing habits to better target advertising to them. The feature allows users to block that third-party content, and, by extension, the tracking. Online privacy advocates welcome the features, some of which are available in the Safari browser and as add-ons to Firefox.