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Hi,
I just received an email from Microsoft with a link to the Internet Explorer 9 BETA. I must say that the object area has seemed to have shrunk a lot compared to the other browsers. You will probably notice what I am talking about if you have used IE 9 BETA. The contents of the body of the page seems to shrink whereas in IE 8, 7 and before the body objects were quite big.
Here is the download link I received in the email.
What you people think?
Nightwalker
I installed it yesterday - first look-and-try is promising. Bug I reported in the feedback forum is fixed...
I couldn't get Menu bar to stay permanently - it would hide after it looses focus (perhaps it will be fixed in the next release - if not it's not a biggy; pressing ALT show menu bar).
Tabs placement is kind of strange but this one is a matter of getting-used-to...
However, new browser feels faster and all pages are rendering as expected. It also required some updates (graphics related) as prerequisites...
... just a first impression ...
So far I really like the beta of IE9. I installed it at home because I didn't want to mess with my work dev machine. Very simple and stripped down to make the browser just a small shell around the site you are on. You can turn back on whatever toolbars/status bars you want if needed though.
Only thing I am not crazy about is how the favorites menu opens on the right side of the window, but if you click the dock, it forces it to the left side only. Seems odd.
Certainly loads pages a lot faster than IE8.
They are going in the right direction (finally), but I'm not giving up Chrome yet.
Was reading about this yesterday and it sounds pretty good. I don't think I could ever leave Firefox (too many web developer extensions that have become integral to my work), but I like seeing IE improve since it is "the internet" to so many people (whether or not those people will ever upgrade is of course a separate issue).
Doesn't work on XP and my Vista machine is too outdated to handle it apparently...Guess I won't be trying it out anytime soon.
Maybe I'll download it at home on my Windows 7 machine.
I tested in a VM yesterday and don't like the interface when compared to chrome. Putting the address bar on the same line as the tabs causes problems when opening lots of tabs. It also reduces the area of the address bar which would normally be quite large on other browsers.
How cramped does it get if you don't open it full screen? That could make it unusable on smaller resolutions.Quote:
Originally Posted by tr333
Yeah, that seemed like a poor design choice. Maybe they'll change it for the final release...Quote:
Originally Posted by tr333
It is a beta so provide the feedback to help shape it for the release version ;)
I've given IE9 a spin, and I have to say I really like what Microsoft have done.
What I liked:
- Speed of browser
- Good rendering
- Removed the tired "selfish" dialog boxes which basically forced the user to answer the dialog box, and which the user couldn't do anything else but answer the dialog box (example is when I tried to press the list button, it came with a little message at the bottom at this page telling me it blocked javascript)
- Possibly the best diagnostics for broken plugins that slow down the IE browser
- Minimalistic UI1
- The address bar and search bar are one
What I didn't like:
- Sometimes the browsing performance can deteriorate while loading mulitple pages
- Address bar placement is a bit silly2
- Lack of any real extensions, but I can understand since it is beta stage
To baja_yu, here is 13 tabs open in a restored window:
Attachment 80332
1: Here is the window maximised:
Attachment 80333
2: My idea to solve it (I tried to give feedback, but apparently my account is not supported to give feedback or something like that):
Attachment 80334
The tabs should AT LEAST be undockable so they can be repositioned.. hopefully Microsoft gets the hint with enough feedback. Other than that, I noticed the favorites button is on the right side, and the list opens on the right side when you click it, but when you dock it, it can only dock on the left side. That seems odd, and left over from previous versions. I also miss the "all tabs" view from IE8, where you could get that screen with screenshots of all current open tabs for fast switching. On a good note though, it scores a 95/100 right now on the acid 3 test.
My reaction is BLECH but I guess I'll get used to it. I don't know why they have to keep rearranging the deck chairs rather than focusing on substantive improvements.
It's like visiting the showroom to find this year the steering wheel has been replaced by a pair of levers and you sit facing backward driving via "front view mirrors."
Seriously, a browser is a tool - not a lifestyle.
I'll be glad when they just make the "browser" truly part of Windows and keep its UI-churn down to new Windows releases.
What next? Command prompt windows with tabs, flying toolbars, candy buttons, etc?
Those are actually some things I'd love to see :DQuote:
Originally Posted by dilettante
Now I will have to realign all of my websites to suite IE9! It is so annoying that Microsoft can't see to figure out a one solution fits all type of thing when dealing with html. The other browsers are able to why not IE.
chrome is still the greatest
It's good, but I wouldn't go as far as saying it's great let alone saying it's still the greatest.Quote:
Originally Posted by arunb
^This.Quote:
Originally Posted by baja_yu
The only thing I do not like at all right now, that others have already mentioned, is the address bar and tabs being together.
If they change that in the stable release (or in another update), it's possible IE can go back to being my main browser (at home), which hasn't been the case for over 7 years.
Tabs placement and not being able to reposition them is still a pain. I'm used to see menubar so that begins to annoy me as well.
I'll try to send feedback on both of these items.
I don't think you'll get much in regards to menus. The trend is to drop them. Opera, Firefox 4 (beta) nor Chrome have them. Tab reordering is definitely a must in my opinion.
Opera has it (menubar) so does FF... :confused:
FF 3.6.10 (the newest) has the menu bar, IE 8 has one that can be turned on (it's off by default)
Don't have Opera so I was going by this http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...eb_Browser.png
As for FF, 3.6.x does but I was referring to the new v4 (beta), which doesn't. http://www.geeky-gadgets.com/wp-cont.../firefox-4.jpg
EDIT: I've read this somewhere on the Net.
:)Quote:
Internet Explorer is the best browser for downloading some better browser.
That is correct and my point is in IE9 Beta no matter what you do menu will go away as soon as it looses focus. I personally like to have it all the time rather than hitting ALT key every time I need it.Quote:
Originally Posted by JuggaloBrotha
Right click the toolbars, check 'Menu Bar' and there you go, it's turned on at that point and will always be visible, at least it does in IE8.Quote:
Originally Posted by RhinoBull
Yea but we are talking about IE9 here - not 8. In IE9 it doesn't work that way (yet). ;)
Although, the good thing is that IE9 is only in BTEA form at the moment! If it were the final product then there would probably be cause for concern.Quote:
Originally Posted by RhinoBull
What specific items in the standard menu bar do you use that often, that it makes it a pain to hide those menus by default? I am just curious because I hardly ever need to hit alt to get into those menus ever, even on IE8. The important items in those menus have keyboard shortcuts or an alternate way of getting to them.
All of them - I am a keyboard person so I rarely click buttons with mouse. And you cannot possibly remember all of those shortcuts. Also, not all of them actually work as multiple menu items may have the same hot key assigned.
Which menu items have the same hotkey assigned?
man... where to begin...
Save As
Select All
Favorites
File
Full Screen
... many others ...
The bottom line is you have to open main item to see sub items so I like to see the menu bar without guessing what it is.
While menu usage vary from user to user it is essential for me.
I'm not saying you shouldn't be able to dock the menu, I am just curious as to the specifics of the issue. I don't know about other people, but I always submit feedback to MS on betas if I find something, even if its just something I don't like. That is the only way we can expect it to be changed.
As far as your list goes though, especially being a keyboard guy, I mean the actual keyboard shortcuts, not the menu shortcuts.
Save As = ctrl + s
Select All = ctrl + a
Favorites = alt + a (or alt +c )
File = alt +f
Full Screen = f11
You cannot possibly remember all of them; also just a few have the shortcuts you've mentioned.
In contrast if you see View and press ALT+V it will open the View menu, scroll it down and hit Enter... You don't need to memorize what sub menus it has - that's what I call "simple-and-effective" navigation.
No I don't memorize them all, but I do memorize the 10-20 commands that I use frequently. That way I don't even have to take my eyes off what I am doing. If I want to make the page bigger, I hit ctrl+(+), I don't go to alt + v, z, enter
The more you use the shortcuts, the more you start using them without even thinking about it.
NOt sure what you're trying to prove... Menu bar is important to me and that's the bottom line.
The fact that it doesn't "stick" annoys the heck of me and I don't know how much more I can emphasize that.
Regards.
Not trying to prove anything. This is just a discussion about the browser and how people use it.
I did find you can enable the menu bar via gpedit.msc
Under
User Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> Internet Explorer -> Turn on menu bar by default (set to enabled)
Not ideal for the average user who wants to do this, but for someone like yourself, it should be a quick fix.
Thanks. I'm aware of this config utility however that is not the problem.
Again, the actual problem is with IE9 BETA - it keeps hiding menubar regardless of the settings system wide and/or within IE itself.
AAMOF "Menu bar" item under View>Toolbars is checked but it won't stay visible - there is nothing you can do about it unless they "fix" it.
btw, we are not discussing just any browser in this thread - IE9 BETA only.
I never said it wasn't a problem or it shouldn't be fixed. You seem to take everything I say as a personal attack on you, when this is nothing but a discussion. When did I say anything about "just any browser", but even so, this thread being about IE9 doesn't mean no other browser can be mentioned for feature comparison...Quote:
Originally Posted by RhinoBull
There IS a workaround for this, like I said, and that is to set the group policy to enable the menu bar. Then, as long as you have "lock the toolbars" checked off in IE9, the menu bar WILL be ALWAYS visible.
So since the menu bar might not be fixed, perhaps even because this new functionality is "by design", it doesn't mean you personally don't have a way to get the functionality you want on your machine. It is actually one of the things I like about Windows. On a Mac you would just have no option at all but to comply with their design decisions. Windows gives you options (even if they are buried a bit)
I had group policy enabled but menubar wouldn't stay. Whether it's by design or a bug it's still annoying... so I'm happily using Opera instead (much less annoying).Quote:
Originally Posted by kleinma
And I don't take things personally.
Regards.
i was unable to install the beta. It said "ie9 needs a required update. go online to get update etc..."
well it opened my web browser automatically with a page with four different kbd articles. none of them worked when i clicked on them. I didn't even know to start with which of them i needed, but none worked. Clicking navigated to microsoft download home.
Which update did it says IE9 required?Quote:
Originally Posted by Lord Orwell
I installed it on a clean Win7 virtual machine and it went through fine.
Are you using Vista? If you are using XP, it's not supported. Perhaps if that is the case, the update they were referring to is the OS itself ;)
I tested in a VM yesterday and don't like the interface when compared to chrome. Putting the address bar on the same line as the tabs causes problems when opening lots of tabs. It also reduces the area of the address bar which would normally be quite large on other browsers.Quote:
Originally Posted by kfcSmitty
Submit your feedback to Microsoft on it. That is the only way to get it to change.
That's just it. It didn't say. It just said i needed one. I tried installing all of them on the page it opened and all failed.Quote:
Originally Posted by Nightwalker83
The system is win7 with all updates installed.
There doesn't seem anyone you could track the install process! Microsoft don't mention needing to install any updates, etc on the system in order to get IE9 working.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lord Orwell
Edit:
You tried to install the correct version for your system, 32 bit/64bit?
I haven't tried installing it on Win7 have only installed IE9 on my Vista Ultimate pc.
Just installed the Win7 64bit version on my laptop and it works without problems although, it seems a bit slow at loading each page.
They don't accept testers anymore - I couldn't submit anything the very next day.Quote:
Originally Posted by kleinma
That's strange because it does work faster.Quote:
Originally Posted by Nightwalker83
What may slow you down are some of the add-ons - go to Tools > Manage Add-Ons and configure them as necessary.
alt + x, alt + k doesn't work for you?Quote:
Originally Posted by RhinoBull
Was that directed toward me?Quote:
Originally Posted by RhinoBull
Ah ok! Although, it might just be my laptop causing the problem because IE works faster on my pc.Quote:
Originally Posted by RhinoBull
Edit:
After reclaiming 1.05 GB of hard drive space on my Laptop IE9 seems to be working faster.
the installer needs a lot of work. this time, running the same file i already downloaded, it auto-downloaded the update it wanted me to find myself last time, and afterwards it shut down the computer with no warning and rebooted. This is an issue for me since my wife was doing homework in word when it happened.
Maybe it would have been a better idea to install IE9 when you knew no one was using the computer since you know have pesky installing software can sometimes become.
I have never seen any installer from Microsoft that would automatically reboot your pc - there is always a confirmation dialog asking whether or not you wish to reboot it now or later.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lord Orwell
Since the introduction of XP (at least) they would use taskbar notification area to notify user of pending tasks.
What OS do you use? Perhaps it's missing many updates or even SP...
I have seen auto reboots, for example in the case of a Vista service pack, but it warns you before you actually start the install process, and it may even give an opt out. Not sure about the IE installer since mine did not need to reboot at all during installation.Quote:
Originally Posted by RhinoBull
7 professional with all updates. I have no idea what it could have needed to update. Based on the updates on the page i was referred to on the failed attempt, they all seemed to be ie9 specific and most were related to displaying graphics, etc.Quote:
Originally Posted by RhinoBull
I suppose it's possible it popped up a dialog box but it wasn't there long enough to be seen. As typing was going on at the time, if a dialog box appears and you are typing and hit the space bar... well, you know the rest.
I haven't used Vista enough to comment on this but I was referring to MS Installer as a general thing, not IE specific.Quote:
Originally Posted by kleinma
That's even more interesting (or intriguing?) because my Win7 doesn't have all the updates - I only choose those that's really necessary. Go figure... :confused:Quote:
Originally Posted by Lord Orwell
it's a security issue. This computer is my wife's. Although truthfully it is missing one "update" ... Windows live essentials.Quote:
Originally Posted by RhinoBull
also annoyed there doesn't seem to be any way to roll back to ie8, unless i am missing something.
and there have been a few occasions where i was on a forum and the tab would show the post number after posting something, instead of the thread title. right now it is telling me this page is "#post3889880"
Uninstalling should be simple really:
- open Control Panel and go to Add/Remove Programs (or from the Run menu execute this: appwiz.cpl)
- scroll it down to Windows Internet Explorer 9 and click the uninstall.
You may need to reboot your pc after uninstall is complete.