Internet Explorer 8: features & benchmarks

Joachim Kaufmann & Kai Schmerer ZDNet Germany

Published: 19 Mar 2009

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Go to section: Introduction User interface Search and Accelerators Under the surface Compatibility Security and privacy Performance Conclusion

User interface
Internet Explorer 8 (IE8) resembles its predecessor in appearance, with the Refresh and Stop buttons on the right side of the Address Bar. Three drop-down menus — Page, Safety and Tools — appear to the right of the page tabs.

One welcome innovation in IE8 is that when you start typing a URL in the address bar, it now not only autocompletes, but you are also offered a drop-down list of suggested sites, related browsing history, favourites and RSS feeds. These options are grouped in clear categories. Entries you don't want in the drop-down list — such as an incorrect address — can be removed with a mouse-click. Unlike Firefox, the IE8 does not show any site logos in the drop-down menu.

In IE7, the default for the Links Bar is to remain hidden. In IE8 the Links Bar is called the Favorites Bar and is shown by default. With a mouse-click you can add sites, RSS feeds and so-called Web Slices, which are specific portions of a web site that are automatically updated. So, for example, you could turn a specific eBay auction into a Web Slice, which will alert you to new bids. For Web Slices to work, the web site concerned must make small modifications to its code.

IE8 has refined the way page tabs work. All the open tabs from the same web site are colour-coded to make it easier for users to manage a larger number of pages. A single click can close an entire Tab Group, and you can also restore closed tabs. Unfortunately, it's not possible, as in Chrome, to drag and drop tabs into a separate browser window, which is a useful feature if you need to compare the contents of several pages.

For screenshots of these and other features, see our Internet Explorer 8 gallery.

 

Go to section: Introduction User interface Search and Accelerators Under the surface Compatibility Security and privacy Performance Conclusion

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