Internet Explorer (browser)

Internet Explorer - browser supplied by the corporation Microsoft with. operating system Windows Internet Explorer 1.0 was released in August 1995 based on the Spyglass, Inc Mosaic browser. Microsoft licensed the browser on a quarterly basis plus a percentage of sales. Over time, the appearance of the browser changed, such functions as: multimedia panel, integration with, Windows Messenger automatic image size correction, download manager, page tab system, search panel, blocking pop-up windows and banners, and so on were gradually added.

In 2015, after almost 20 years of using Internet Explorer, Microsoft refused to embed it in Windows. Bet was placed on the new Microsoft Edge browser

Usage indicators

2022: Browser share of global market - 0.8%

2020: Internet Explorer Market Share for March 5.87%

On April 2, 2020, it became known that the Edge browser, released by Microsoft simultaneously with OCWindows 10, took second place in the global ranking of desktop browsers by the number of users. According to NetMarketShare statistics for March 2020, Edge's total share of the browser market was 7.59% (second place) versus 7.37% in February 2020 (third place) and 5.2% in March 2019 (fourth place).

The top five according to the results of March 2020 also includes the Apple Safari browser with a share of 3.62% (3.69% in March 2019). It is in fifth position, having missed another Microsoft browser ahead - Internet Explorer with shares of 5.87% and 7.34% in March 2020 and March 2019, respectively. Read more here.

2015:25% of PCs worldwide

According to the analytical service NetMarketShare for December 2015, Internet Explorer 11 is installed on 25.57% of personal computers worldwide. The share of all versions of the Microsoft browser was 48.57%, for the first time falling below the 50 percent mark.

History

2023: The public procurement portal stops working in the Internet Explorer browser

Users of the public procurement portal from March 20, 2023 will no longer be able to enter their personal account if they use Internet Explorer. A message about this was published on the EAC portal "Procurement." Read more here.

2022: Microsoft ends support for Internet Explorer

Microsoft has discontinued support for Internet Explorer, which will celebrate its 27th anniversary in August 2022. This became known on June 15, 2022.

According to a report by research firm Lansweeper, Microsoft's refusal of further support for Internet Explorer will affect approximately 47% of corporate PCs running Windows 10. Moreover, the statistics take into account only those versions of this OS that are still receiving updates - many early builds of Microsoft have long ceased to support.

It follows that 47% cannot be considered an exact value. In fact, there may be significantly more computers dependent on Internet Explorer with Windows 10 installed. Lansweeper analysts prepared their report on the basis of an audit of 9 million computers assigned to 33 thousand organizations around the world. The company has not yet provided statistics on ordinary users. Also, the analysis does not take into account Windows 11 - this system, announced in June 2021 and released in early October 2021, ships with a different browser by default. It is complete with Edge, the successor to Internet Explorer, largely copied from Google Chrome. It is not a full-fledged replacement for Internet Explorer, at least because it is built on a completely different browser engine.

According to Lansweeper experts, many companies that are in no hurry to switch to Windows 11 for one reason or another do not always use Internet Explorer every day as their main browser. Such a use case certainly exists, even in 2022, but statistics take into account all options for using this browser, including when opening ancient websites in Internet Explorer mode through Edge. The 47% value mentioned in the Lansweeper report is fairly conditional. The company's experts have calculated how many computers in organizations still depend on Internet Explorer for three still supported versions of Windows 10. It is calculated by adding 21.37% (version 21H2, released in November 2021), 16.87% (20H2, October 2020) and 8.06% (21H1, May 2021), which in total gives the same 47%.

Meanwhile, the infographic clearly shows that the figure of 21.37% cannot be considered a record. In this regard, Windows 10 21H2 ranks second, behind the 2004 version two years ago. It came out in May 2020, and its result in the Lansweeper report is 29.67%.

The report lists other versions of Windows 10, the enterprise PCs running which are still bound, to varying degrees, to Internet Explorer. This includes versions with the LTSC (Long-Term Servicing Channel) and LTSB (Long-Term Servicing Branch) indices - specialized OS modifications with long-term technical support. According to statistics from the StatCounter portal, the global share of Internet Explorer, taking into account user and office computers, is extremely small. In May 2022, it did not exceed 1.65%, while Edge had 10.12%, Firefox - 7.66%, and Google Chrome - 66.16%.^[1]

2021

Microsoft finally abandoned Internet Explorer

On May 19, 2021, Microsoft officially announced the final abandonment of Internet Explorer. Instead, the company will focus on the development of Microsoft Edge.

Since the launch of Edge, Internet Explorer has continued to run on Windows operating systems to ensure compatibility of enterprise applications, but Microsoft has now decided to withdraw its support. Internet Explorer 11 will be taken out of use and will cease to be supported from June 15, 2022, the company said.

Thus, Microsoft gave users a little more time, especially for those who have the task of viewing older versions of sites that are not adapted for modern browsers. They have more than a year to adapt their projects to the current versions of browsers.

In new versions of Windows, Internet Explorer will replace the Microsoft Edge browser with built-in "IE mode." It allows you to view legacy sites and applications based on Internet Explorer. The company promises to maintain "IE mode" until at least 2029.

Earlier, Internet Explorer stopped working with the Microsoft Teams corporate messenger, and from August 17, 2021, the browser will not connect to Office 365, OneDrive, Outlook and others.

One of the reasons for abandoning Internet Explorer in favor of Edge is to protect user data. As noted in Microsoft, Edge offers protection against phishing attacks and malware using Microsoft Defender SmartScreen. In addition, the Password Monitor function helps track the leakage of confidential user data.

The changes were necessary, but we did not want to leave reliable, still working websites and applications, explained Microsoft.[2]

GIS in the Russian Federation will need an update due to the termination of IE support

Due to the termination of support for Internet Explorer, Microsoft Government Information Systems (GIS) may require a mandatory update. Most of them used an outdated version of the browser to authorize users.

We are talking, for example, about the system of control over the volume of turnover of alcoholic and alcohol-containing products in Russia (EGAIS), the system of the Federal Treasury (state automated system "Administration") and the Supreme Court (state automated system "Justice"), Alexey Smirnov, general director of BASEALT, told Kommersant. When these GIS were created, only Internet Explorer supported the necessary requirements for cryptographic protection, one of the interlocutors told the newspaper. On August 17, 2021, support for Internet Explorer version 11 is discontinued.

The lack of updates carries a serious risk of data leakage and the availability of services, experts say. This increases the risk of hacker attacks and narrows the circle of potential users. The problem is large-scale - to solve it, you will need to rewrite the software of state information systems, which will take from one to three years, said Dmitry Komissarov, head of MyOffice. The source of the publication in the software development market suggested that updating the GIS will cost ministries and departments hundreds of millions of rubles.

Taking into account the requirements for import substitution, the best course for departments will be to switch to open source browsers, for example, from the Chromium and Firefox families, said Yuri Sosnin, deputy general director of the Astra Linux group of companies. According to Timur Myakinin, head of the software development department of the Jet Infosystems IT company, the departments still have enough time to abandon old technologies.^[3]

2020: Microsoft announces end of IE 11 support

In August 2020, Microsoft published a schedule for ending support for Internet Explorer 11 and Edge browsers (a version based on the company's own engine).

The entire process will be carried out in stages: from November 30, 2020, IE 11 support will be discontinued in the Microsoft Teams service, after March 9, 2021, Microsoft will stop supplying updates for Edge (including security updates), and from August 17, 2021, many services such as Office 365, OneDrive, Outlook and others will completely stop working with IE 11.

Customers have been using IE 11 since 2013, when the online environment was much less challenging than today. Since then, web standards and browsers have emerged, such as the new Microsoft Edge, which have made Internet browsing more comfortable and innovative. We believe this change will be beneficial for Microsoft 365 subscribers, in both the consumer and commercial segments, as they will have access to a faster and more responsive interface, as well as a large number of features in everyday tools such as Outlook, Microsoft Teams, SharePoint , etc., Microsoft said in a statement.

However, the company will not completely abandon Internet Explorer 11, since the browser is a component of the Windows operating system and its support will be discontinued only with the end of the support period for the version of the OS on which it is installed. IE support for Windows 10 will remain for a while, clarifies The Verge.

The company noted that users will still be able to access sites specially developed for Internet Explorer until the tech giant stops supporting the browser in Windows 10.

As Microsoft noted, the 11th version of Internet Explorer has been used since 2013, when the online environment was much less complex than by August 2020, and since then web standards and browsers have been improving.

Microsoft launched an updated version of Edge based on the Chromium engine in January 2020, it was offered to download it manually from the website. In June, the company began distributing Edge through Windows Software Updates to Windows 10 users (builds 1803, 1809, 1903 and 1909). With the release of Windows 10 20H2, scheduled for fall, Edge will be included with Windows 10. It is noted that the browser will support IE11 through Internet Explorer mode.^[4]

With many websites and apps still using Internet Explorer by August 2020, Microsoft is trying to avoid using two active browsers at the same time. For a "painless" replacement, Microsoft Edge has launched Internet Explorer Legace mode, in which users can stay in the same browser - "freely use the best of the modern Internet on one tab and access the business-critical legacy IE 11 application on another tab," says Microsoft.

2019

Microsoft has changed the date of abandonment of Flash in Internet Explorer 11

On September 3, 2019, it became known that Microsoft had changed plans to disable Flash support in Internet Explorer 11. Previously, the company intended to disable Flash in the browser by default, keeping the user able to enable it himself. It was planned to do this in the second half of 2019. Read more here.

Microsoft: Internet Explorer is not a browser, stop using it by default

In February 2019, Microsoft asked to stop considering Internet Explorer a browser and use it by default in computers. This program has become only a "compatibility solution" for outdated websites that need to be updated for modern Internet browsers.

As cyber security Chris Jackson, global director for the company, wrote on Microsoft's blog, corporate customers should not use Internet Explorer for all their web traffic, even if it is not easy for some organizations to abandon this product.

Such companies, according to Jackson, are forced to take on "technical obligations," including paying for extended support for outdated software, but in the case of Internet Explorer, such a habit should be eradicated. This is stated in the message with the title "Dangers of using Internet Explorer as the default browser."

The main essence of Jackson's argument is that companies should selectively use Internet Explorer only for their sites that need this browser. For example, some may be interested in the Enterprise Mode Site List tool for Internet Explorer 11, which provides better compatibility for web applications created for older versions of the browser. This feature allows businesses to migrate to new versions of Windows much more easily and at a much lower cost. 

At the same time, Chris Jackson does not call for using the Edge browser or competing products like Chrome or Firefox.

I'm not here to impose any browser on anyone. Windows gives you a choice, and you have to choose the browser that best fits your needs, he noted, adding that many developers have stopped testing sites for Internet Explorer.[5]

2016: Internet Explorer 10 End of Support

On January 12, 2016, Microsoft discontinued support for all but the latest version of Internet Explorer. This was reported on the official website of the American corporation ^[6]].

The completion of support provides for the absence of updates for the security system, other updates, free and paid support services , as well as updates to technical information on the Internet, Microsoft said.

Starting January 12, 2016, only Internet Explorer 11 (only for Windows 7, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 platforms) and the new Edge browser will be able to receive official support from the manufacturer. Security updates and technical support are not available for Internet Explorer 10 or older versions of Microsoft Web Browser.

On January 12, 2016, Microsoft released the latest update for Internet Explorer under number KB3123303, which, among other things, began to recommend that users change the browser to a more current one.

Previously, Microsoft abandoned the use of Internet Explorer as the default browser in the Windows 10 operating system. Now this status is held by the Microsoft Edge browser, developed as part of the Spartan project. This program allows you to take handwritten notes in a browser window, offers a special reading mode, has integration with the Cortana voice assistant, provides quick access to favorites, downloads, a reading list , etc.

2015

Announcing the timing of stopping updates to older versions of Internet Explorer

After January 12, 2016, only the latest version of Internet Explorer will receive support, updates and security patches, Microsoft said. Users using Internet Explorer 8, 9, or 10 on Windows 7 SP1 will have to migrate to Intetnet Explorer 11 to continue receiving support^[7].

Internet Explorer Logo (2015)

In the Windows 10 operating system, the main browser is Edge, although Internet Explorer is also available for compatibility on the system. The developers rely on Edge, in the future, so the fastest transition of users to it is an important task.

Microsoft will not be able to get rid of Internet Explorer right away and will have to act in stages. Older versions of the browser will be the first to go down in history. On January 12, 2016, support for IE versions up to 9th on Windows Vista SP2 will be discontinued, and only Windows 7 8.1 10 IE 11 will be supported on,. Other versions will stop receiving security updates.

In the Edge browser, Microsoft, having abandoned outdated technologies, has improved performance. But it lacks functionality. Partly for this reason, Edge is not in demand among users.

HP found a vulnerability in Internet Explorer, and Microsoft refused to fix it

On June 25, 2015, it became known about the disclosure of details of a vulnerability discovered in the 32-bit version of Internet Explorer 11 by HP. The company published the information because Microsoft refused to fix the "hole," although it paid $125 thousand to specialists who discovered it^[8]

HP specialists discovered the vulnerability in February 2015. It allows bypassing Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR, a technology used in operating systems that randomly changes the location of important structures in the process address space) and accessing the computer's RAM.

Microsoft decided not to release a patch for the browser, explaining its actions by the small number of users of the 32-bit version of Internet Explorer 11 and the laborious process of exploiting the vulnerability.

HP, in turn, decided to notify users of a possible danger, and published the results of their research after the 120-day non-disclosure period (according to the requirements Microsoft). The reward from Microsoft HP donated to scientific and educational programs.

In March 2015, Microsoft officially confirmed the gradual termination of Internet Explorer - it still exists in some versions of Windows 10, for enterprises, but the main way to access web pages in Windows 10 will be a new project - Project Spartan, in April 2015 it was named Microsoft Edge.

From April 22, 2015 to June 22, 2015, Microsoft conducted a program to search for vulnerabilities in a new browser for everyone, assigning a prize for finding a bug from $500 to $15 thousand. The results are yet to be released.

Microsoft will abandon Internet Explorer

On March 17, 2015, it became known about the upcoming separation of Microsoft and Internet Explorer: a new built-in browser will appear in the next version of Windows 10^[9].

Internet Explorer has been operating on Windows for almost 20 years.

Microsoft will abandon the Internet Explorer brand, a company spokesman said at the Microsoft Convergence event in the United States. The company began looking for a new name for the browser, which will be built into the Windows 10 operating system.

Internet Explorer will remain in some editions of Windows 10, mainly intended for corporate use (the system is planned to be released in 2015). Microsoft will save it so that companies do not have compatibility problems. However, starting with Windows 10, users will access the Internet using the built-in browser, and it will not be named Internet Explorer.

The new browser is being developed under the codename Spartan. Information about him first appeared in December 2014. According to the company's speaker, Microsoft does not plan to make Spartan the commercial name of the product.

Screenshot of the browser window, 2015

Despite the fact that Microsoft's latest versions of the web browser turned out to be good, their adequate assessment was hindered by the negative accumulated over the years of Internet Explorer 6. Choosing a new name will probably help the modern browser distance itself from the negative past.

Some functions of the browser codenamed Spartan

Internet Explorer is a weak link in Windows

On January 26, 2016, ESET published an analysis of cyberattacks on Microsoft software products for 2014, according to which the largest number of vulnerabilities closed by Microsoft in its products fell on Internet Explorer versions 6-11 - 243 vulnerabilities^[10].

Number of vulnerabilities closed in 2014, 2014

Number of vulnerabilities fixed in 2014 compared to 2013, 2014

The closed vulnerabilities are of the "remote code execution" type and were used by attackers to secretly install malware on users' computers. A number of closed vulnerabilities in Microsoft products have been exploited in malicious campaigns, including the so-called state-sponsored attacks (cyber weapons).

In particular, in the fall of 2014, ESET specialists presented data from a study of the BlackEnergy Trojan. It was used to steal data from corporate users from Eastern Europe and was distributed through a 0day vulnerability CVE-2014-4114 on the operating systems Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8 and 8.1, RT.

"In 2014, Microsoft introduced a number of innovations in Internet Explorer and other products to improve security," said Artem Baranov a leading virus analyst. ESET- However, the ESET virus laboratory has already repeatedly reported the need to use Enhanced Protected Mode in IE, especially in conjunction with the 64-bit version. Windows 8.1 This will significantly raise the safety bar when using these products. "

2014: Internet Explorer 11 Release

On April 3, 2014, Microsoft announced the release of IE11 updates for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1. Internet Explorer 11 for Windows Phone has also been released.

Description

The update will increase browser performance, expand support for standards and give developers new F12 tools. Enterprise users will receive a new Enterprise Mode that will ensure the best browser compatibility with old web applications. Windows Phone 8.1 users will be able to sync open tabs and favorites between their smartphone, tablet and computer.

Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 users will start receiving updates on April 8, 2014. MSDN or TechNet resources are available for those wishing to receive the update earlier - there it is available from April 2, 2014.

The browser update on Windows Phone 8.1 systems will begin for all existing users in the coming months. Starting in May 2014, the update will be preinstalled on new phones. Registered developers will be able to install the update before the end of next week.

Top IE11 updates for Windows 8.1

• Optimizes the interface for seven and eight-inch tablets by automatically determining the optimal font size
• Optimizing the mouse and keyboard interface: Controls (tabs and address bar) are constantly visible when the mouse and keyboard are connected to the device.
• Enterprise mode
• Improved WebGL support
• Improvements for F12 Developer Tools

Major IE11 updates for Windows Phone 8.1

• Synchronize tabs and favorites between devices
• Unlimited number of tabs open
• Move back and forth with a flip gesture
• Docking sites on the Live Tiles start screen
• Voice commands to access your favorite sites
• Reading mode
• Improved performance with hardware acceleration and browser optimization
• Mobile Traffic Saving Mode
• InPrivate mode
• Smart Screen Filter
• 3D Graphics with WebGL Support

Enterprise mode - Enterprise mode

On April 2, 2014, Microsoft introduced Enterprise Mode for Internet Explorer 11, which improves the compatibility of web applications created for older versions of the browser. Enterprise Mode will help businesses make it easier and much less expensive to upgrade to new versions of Windows.

Description

The new "Enterprise Mode" will be available to users immediately after installing the latest update to Windows 7 and Windows 8.1. According to the vendor, corporate users will appreciate the benefits of supporting modern web standards, performance and increased security of Internet Explorer 11, without stopping to justify investments made in previous web applications. The new Internet Explorer mode will make it much easier for companies to update to the latest version of the Windows 8.1 operating system, which meets all the needs of modern business.

Enterprise Mode offers full compatibility of the new browser with Internet Explorer 8 preinstalled with Windows 7, which will allow companies to avoid the need to select new applications and services that support modern web standards - HTML5, CSS3 and use old web applications created for previous versions of Internet Explorer.

After setting up a list of outdated web applications and sites, the mode will automatically turn on when accessing them. The company's IT service can easily customize the list of sites that will be displayed in Enterprise Mode using XML lists or groups. With the help of group policy editors, the IT specialist will be able to disable or enable Enterprise Mode, switch it to manual mode, automatically list sites that require Enterprise mode (using the new Enterprise Mode Site List Manager tool), and also use lists of sites using this mode for various departments of the company or groups of users.

Internet Explorer 11 in Enterprise Mode keeps sites fast and smooth, the ability to use hardware acceleration and other benefits acquired by Microsoft over the past 5 years, launches web applications much faster than IE8.

Key Benefits of Enterprise Mode for Internet Explorer 11

• Differences in user agent. In Enterprise Mode, IE11 correctly interacts with sites and web applications that use legacy browser types and versions, even those that do not work if you use a non- IE8 browser.
• ActiveX and other controls. Enterprise Mode responds to browser version requests similarly to IE8.
• Legacy browser features. Enterprise Mode allows you to use legacy browser functions in IE11, such as CSS Expressions, to dynamically place objects on a page.
• Preliminary rendering and caching. In Enterprise Mode, rendering and caching technology is disabled because this technology may cause incorrect page display when working with outdated web services.
• Displays the page. In Enterprise Mode, IE11, like IE8, fixes compatibility problems and common site problems developed for older versions of the browser (for example, Internet Explorer 7) using emulation.

The number of "holes" in Internet Explorer has grown by 100% since the beginning of the year

Since the beginning of 2014, more vulnerabilities have been found in Microsoft's Internet Explorer web browser than in the entire last year. This follows from a report by Bromium Labs, a company that produces solutions for protecting corporate networks.

Internet Explorer is the leader among other popular browsers in the number of vulnerabilities found in the first half of 2014. Moreover, it is several times ahead of them in this indicator - approximately 2 times Mozilla Firefox and about 2.5 times Google Chrome.

Even in Adobe Flash technology, which analysts call the most favorite among hackers, in the first half of this year, about 8 times fewer vulnerabilities were found than in Internet Explorer.

This may say, one thing, not that Internet Explorer has become worse in terms of security, but that Microsoft has begun to pay more attention to finding vulnerabilities in it.

The fact that Microsoft has begun to spend more time on Internet Explorer security is confirmed by another statistical value - according to the same Bromium Labs, over the past few years, the corporation has significantly reduced the average time between detecting a vulnerability in Internet Explorer and releasing a patch. If in 2011 for IE9 this time was over 90 days, then for IE11 in 2013 - about 5 days.

Internet Explorer and independent analysts have become more interested in security. According to researchers, in the first half of 2014, descriptions of 11 exploits for Microsoft's web browser appeared on the Internet, a total of 2 exploits for Adobe Flash, and not a single exploit for Firefox and Chrome.

2012

Internet Explorer 10 Feature Overview

On March 14, 2012, in the English version of the Building Windows 8 blog, dedicated to the process of creating a new generation of operating systems "of all times and peoples," Microsoft published a very extensive article on the new features of Internet Explorer 10. He has the fate of working with Windows 8 and supporting the new Metro GUI. The material contains many colorful screenshots and video demonstrations.

At this time, the release of the OS was expected later in 2012 (Microsoft has been offering a consumer preview release since February 29), the Metro interface should become the preserve of mobile devices with a touch screen, while desktop PCs with a large screen and the usual keyboard and mouse will be able to work with its more traditional version.

According to the author of the post, Rob Mauceri, head of the Internet Explorer program group, Microsoft programmers have radically changed the architecture and significantly redesigned the Internet browser engine. First of all, in order to improve performance and ensure compatibility with a large number of standards, including HTML5. In particular, Microsoft claims that in terms of rendering speed of ordinary web pages, Internet Explorer 10 will be able to equal the indicators characteristic of the most lightweight mobile sites. This means that users, even on desktops and laptops, will feel the inherent "lightness" and speed of mobile browsing.

Metro support provides, first of all, the content of web pages in full screen mode. Controls in the new interface will only appear as needed and disappear if not needed. For example, this applies to bookmarks - they are displayed only "at the request" of the user. To fill out forms on devices with a touch screen, there is a pop-up keyboard, built-in spelling, tools for finding fragments of text.

In IE10, each pixel of the screen is used to display a web page

The closest competitors Google and Mozilla are busy developing their versions of Chrome and Firefox browsers, respectively, with support for the Windows 8 Metro GUI.

Internet Explorer 10 recognized the largest number of malicious sites by issuing an appropriate warning compared to all other popular browsers. IE10 also detects newly appeared malicious links faster than other browsers. This conclusion is contained in the report of the research company NSS Labs.

The study took place from March 13 to April 9, 2013. The effectiveness of protecting web browsers was tested on 754 malicious links. At the same time, researchers went to the same malicious sites many times. In total, each browser accounted for over 18 thousand tests. The operating system used is Microsoft Windows 8 Enterprise.

IE10 demonstrated the most effective protection by detecting malicious links in 99.96% of cases. In second place is Google Chrome 25/26, which showed an efficiency of 83.16%. Web browsers Safari 5 and Firefox 19 ranked third and fourth, respectively, with 10.15% and 9.92%. Opera 12 was able to detect malicious links in 1.87% of cases.

"Thus, Firefox and Safari will block about one in every ten attacks. This means that the remaining nine attacks will have to be intercepted by an antivirus installed on a user computer. Chrome will protect against eight out of ten attacks, and Internet Explorer 10 will miss only four attacks out of a thousand. Opera browser users are practically unprotected, "the NSS Labs report says

.

Experts added that in all cases, browsers issue a warning that the site can harm a computer, but allow you to overcome this protection. Therefore, the actual level of protection may be lower. In addition, the researchers clarified that the difference in the above browsers is not linear.

Share of IE9 - 11.6%

As of February 6, 2012, the share of the IE9 browser in the world is 11.6% of all browsers for desktop operating systems. IE8, released in 2009 and lacking tracking protection, holds a share twice that of IE9.

2011: Google Chrome squeezed out IE

Internet Explorer was unable to maintain its share of the browser market, as Google Chrome received a significant portion of the consumer audience. According to Net Applications, during 2011, all versions of IE reduced their share by 7.4% of the point, while Chrome increased its share by 8.8% over the same period.

2010

20 million downloads of IE9 for 2010

Microsoft has summed up the development of the Internet Explorer 9 Beta web browser for 2010. The public beta version of the program was downloaded by 20 million users. At the same time, at the end of summer, beta testers were 20 times less - about 1 million people (versions were available for developers), and after the public beta release, their number increased to 2.5 million. According to the statistical company Net Applications, the share of Internet activity of users in the world using Internet Explorer 9 Beta was 0.12% in September 2010, 0.32% in October, 0.38% in November and 0.46% in December.

For comparison (the data source is the same) - the previous (and latest stable) version of the web browser from Microsoft Internet Explorer 8 grew more dynamically - Internet Explorer 8 Beta 1, presented in March 2008 to the general public, gained 0.05% of Internet traffic by the time the second version was released, and the second beta version in 5 weeks of autumn 2008 increased this figure to 0.61%.

Launch Internet Explorer 9

On September 15, 2010, Microsoft released the first official beta version of its Internet Explorer 9 browser, open for download to everyone. You can download the beta version of Internet Explorer 9 on a separate site [beautyoftheweb.com], specially launched for this purpose.

First of all, significant changes in the IE9 interface are striking compared to previous versions: the developers removed all unnecessary menus and buttons from the interface, leaving only a field for the address of the web page, a search bar and several simple buttons, as a result of which the browser began to look more like its main competitors - Firefox and Chrome.

Interface

Previously, the developers have already noted that their goal in working on the IE9 was to maximize the free space for displaying web pages and reduce the size of the program interface. The main difference between IE9, Firefox and Chrome in the appearance of the top browser panel is the location of tabs with open web pages: if Firefox has them below the line with the address, and Chrome has them above, then in the IE9 the pages are located next to the address and search, which made it possible to free up maximum space for the page content itself. The buttons for accessing the browser menu, bookmark list and history of visited web pages are located in the upper right corner of the screen.

New features In addition to changes in the interface, Microsoft representatives announced a number of new features that should significantly increase the speed and security of the browser. So, for better playback of web graphics, it is no longer the computer's processor that is used, but its graphics accelerator. According to the developers, thanks to this innovation, web pages open much faster and are processed by the system as applications installed right on the computer. At the same time, the use of GPUs frees up CPU cores for more important tasks. In addition, the creators of the IE9 announced significantly improved support for HTML5 and CSS3, as well as an increase in JavaScript speed due to a new engine called Chakra. There is support for the Direct 2D and DirectWrite API API functions.

"The updated document object model (DOM) in Internet Explorer 9 allows you to significantly increase speed by interacting more efficiently with Chakra, the new JavaScript engine. Chakra is able to process code with several parallel threads, taking advantage of several CPU cores. Although all these changes are significant in themselves, together they make the browser work very fast, "the software giant said in a statement

.

In the beta version of the browser, the Pinned Sites function has appeared, which allows you to access the user's favorite sites directly through the Windows 7 control panel without having to open the browser itself before.

The browser beta only runs on Windows Vista or Windows 7 operating systems, without support for earlier Windows XP. Users will also have to replace their current version of Internet Explorer with it.

Safety

An important improvement in browser security was the integration of Download Manager with the SmartScreen Filter, first introduced in IE8 as a tool for protecting against malicious sites. This functionality is automatically checked against a list of phishing sites and pages with malicious code, warning the user if they visit.

Integration with Download Manager allows you to remove unnecessary warnings if you download well-known files and pay more attention to security if you download software that may indeed contain malicious code, the developers say.

Microsoft plans to introduce support for a special technology to control user information transmitted through a web browser. We are talking about the Tracking Protection mechanism, which works on the basis of the lists of websites formed by the users themselves, which are allowed or prohibited from accessing certain information (primarily cookies). The user himself will add to them URL resources that will process (or not process) information only if the user directly enters a link into the address bar. Thus, data exchange is excluded during referral schemes and when embedding elements of other web resources in others (for example, in mashup). Such a policy was introduced as a reaction to the appeal of the Federal Commission on to trade USA the (FTC), which took up the regulation of the use of data in online advertising.

By default, in the new IE9, all lists for blocking will be empty. They can be formed by ordinary users and organizations (owners of web resources), the lists themselves can be updated, and the browser will automatically check for the presence of certain resources in them. Such a technology, as noted in Microsoft, is a logical continuation of the system of selective blocking of cookies for a certain domain, as well as the anonymous surfing tool that appeared in the IE8.

According to a study conducted by NSS Labs in the third quarter of 2010, Internet Explorer 8 and Internet Explorer 9 demonstrated the best protection against malware distributed by social engineering. According to the study, "by demonstrating a unique URL blocking rate of 94% and dynamic protection with a rate of 99%, Internet Explorer 9 by a wide margin became the best at protecting users from malware distributed using social engineering." Thus, Internet Explorer 9 overtook its closest competitor Firefox 3.6 by 5 times. The report also noted that without the enabled application reputation feature (99% is achieved with the enabled application reputation feature), Internet Explorer 9 still shows the best result - 95%.

Internet Explorer is the leader in providing protection against attacks that use social engineering thanks to the SmartScreen filter. This technology, which is used in Internet Explorer 8 and Internet Explorer 9 Beta, helps to recognize fraudulent websites, prevent hidden malware installation and protect confidential information, logins and passwords. SmartScreen has already repelled more than 1.2 billion phishing and malware attacks and continues to block up to 3 million attacks every day.

IE9 bypassed Chrome browsers versions 15 to 19, Firefox versions 7-13 and Safari 5 in the fall of 2012 in an NSS Labs test designed to assess the ability to prevent visits to malicious sites. During testing, browsers accessed 84 thousand such sites. IE9 recognized 95% of malicious pages, while Firefox and Safari reached only 6%, and different versions of Chrome - from 13 to 74%. NSS Labs also checked browsers for protection against click fraud - pages that generate fictitious clicks on banners. IE9 recognized 96.6% of such pages, Chrome - 1.6%, Firefox 0.8%, and Safari 0.7%.

As NSS Labs explains, browsers rely on a cloud reputation system that searches the Internet for malicious sites and places them on a black or white list. When a malicious site is detected, the browser displays a warning. As the company's specialists found out, the SafeBrowsing 2.0 programming interface, which provides access to executable reputation checking services, is integrated into Chrome, but is not available in Firefox and Safari.

Internet Explorer 9 Security Features

Internet Explorer 9 is the first browser to include a download manager with integrated malware protection based on SmartScreen application reputation mechanisms. SmartScreen App Reputation is a new feature that helps users make security decisions about downloaded files based on a browser-integrated reputation engine. Today, users often ignore the general warnings that appear when downloading. Other browsers show such standard warnings regardless of whether the downloaded file is a common commonly used program or spyware. Internet Explorer 9 is the only browser that uses the reputation of applications to help users make the right decision.

New Internet Explorer 9 security features also include:

• Add-on Performance Advisor function. Using the ability to measure the loading time of an additional component, the Add-on Performance Advisor notifies users if such components slow down web browsing. Users are notified if the total download time of all enabled add-ons exceeds 0.2 seconds. Based on this notification, you can enable the necessary components and disable less useful or too slow ones.
• Hang Recovery function. The new feature of Internet Explorer 9 serves to limit the effects of a tab hanging: if one of the tabs stops responding, the rest of the tabs and the entire browser continue to work.
• Automatic updates. Constant protection ensures that you regularly receive the latest browser updates. They can be installed automatically as they are available. Updates such as security updates, critical updates, definition updates, cumulative updates, and service packs received through Windows Update can be automatically installed.
• Group Policy support. For IT professionals, Internet Explorer 9 still provides excellent Group Policy support. With a set of 1,500 Group Policy settings, including new settings to support the capabilities of Internet Explorer 9, IT can fully manage browser installations after deployment.

Internet Explorer consumes less power than other browsers

Microsoft called this version of the Internet Explorer web browser the most efficient in terms of electricity consumption among all similar programs. This was reported in the official IEBlog blog on the MSDN network. According to the results of tests conducted by Microsoft specialists, the laptop with the Windows 7 operating system and a 56 Wh battery with continuous use of Internet Explorer 9 reached 3 hours 45 minutes. The second result was shown by the Mozilla Firefox browser - 3 hours 35 minutes.^[11]

The rest of the browsers could not IE9 be serious competitors. So, Chrome 10 used up the charge in 2 hours 56 minutes, Safari 5 in 2 hours 55 minutes, and Opera 11 in 2 hours 43 minutes, that is, 62 minutes earlier than Internet Explorer. According to Microsoft representatives, the faster the browser processes pages, the less energy is consumed. At the same time, IE9 took the lead thanks to support for hardware graphics acceleration. Opera Software said they are optimizing the effectiveness of their browser to the maximum and do not believe the results of tests conducted by the interested party. Mozilla was pleased with the results, despite second place.

2008: Internet Explorer 8 as part of Windows 7

Some of the new properties of the latest version of Internet Explorer 8, which is part of the Windows 7 system:

• Automatic tab recovery after a failure
• quick commands available from the context menu: search in Live Search, search on a map, send by mail, translate into another language, add to online bookmarks and a number of others;
• WebSlices (web fragments) - users' subscription to certain sections of pages;
• "smart address bar" - when entering an address, the browser returns a result based not only on the URL of a previously visited site, but also on the page header and its other properties;
• highlighting the domain name in the address bar;
• private mode of operation InPrivate, which allows you to visit sites without leaving traces in the history of the browser.

Privacy restrictions

Back in early 2008, Microsoft announced that its new Internet Explorer 8.0 browser would have a feature that allows users to easily and quickly avoid any tracking of their online activities. As stated in a new article by the Wall Street Journal, the functionality that gives users complete privacy has sparked heated debate among employees of the software giant.

Many company leaders argued that automatic privacy for all users would negatively affect the income from sales of Microsoft online advertising, since data on the interests of people to whom certain ads are shown are very important for advertisers. As a result, the company did not implement this function in full, forcing privacy lovers to deliberately turn on privacy parameters every time the program was launched.

According to many experts, this decision does not in any way correspond to Microsoft's original promises to provide users with a browser with the best personal data protection on the market. "Initially, Microsoft's privacy plans were declared to be" leading in this area "and superior to all previous decisions. As a result, most users of the final product do not even know about the existence of a yet implemented privacy protection function. So it was a disappointing lie, "said Simon Davies, a privacy expert whom Microsoft consulted in the planning of this functionality.

Microsoft representatives also do not hide that they decided to abandon their original plans precisely because of fears that this will negatively affect profits from online advertising. According to the company's general adviser Brad Smith, in the new versions of its browser, the company will try to find a solution that "will satisfy the interests of consumers in privacy and at the same time will reckon with the critical role of advertising in Internet content."

Advertisers are interested in having maximum data on users' interests and using it to determine the best target audience. So, according to the Wall Street Journal investigation, the 50 most popular sites in the United States, including four resources of Microsoft itself, installed an average of 64 programs on a test computer that track certain user actions.

Notes