AfterDawn: News

Microsoft sees 2 million downloads of Internet Explorer 9 beta

Microsoft has released figures today relating to their launch of the Internet Explorer 9 beta and downloads have been very strong.

Released on the 15th, the software giant says 2.1 million people downloaded the beta over the first 48 hours of availability.



By comparison, only 1.3 million downloaded the IE8 beta during its first five days in 2008.

Additionally, the company says it has seen 26 million page views to the "Beauty of the Web" IE9 main page in its first week.

The newly revamped browser includes a combined search/URL bar, tighter integration with the Windows Taskbar, "tear-off" tabs, site pinning, JumpLists and new HTML 5 support.

For more information, including a free download of the beta, visit here: Internet Explorer 9

TAKE NOTE: The IE9 beta does not work in Windows XP.

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 22 Sep 2010 17:09

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• 22 comments

• biglo30

  I used it for a few days, its very fast but it is still in the beta stage so it really wasn't stable enough to use on a day to day basis. The browser freezed at times, with required me to restart it and the compatibility with some of the pages weren't that good. Its a good browser but still needs some work, maybe more stability in the next update.
  

  22.9.2010 17:49 #1

• Dardandec

  Oh look, nobody doing any browser wars tonight, must all be twatting or on farcebook.
  Anyhoo, come on the ie9

  22.9.2010 17:53 #2

• Pop_Smith

  Once it's released Microsoft needs to make IE9 a mandatory update from any previous IE.
  
  This way web designers only have to build one site that works on all browsers instead of adding 20+% to a site's build time because of tweaking a site so it works on various Exploder versions.
  

  http://www.megavideo.com/?v=V1VZAD0O <-- Brian Regan "Take Luck" video.
  
  "The only people who should buy Monster cable are people who light cigars with Benjamins." - Gizmodo

  22.9.2010 18:59 #3

• hikaricor

  idiots

  22.9.2010 19:02 #4

• champman

  In terms of speed of IE9, I don't see any difference from using Firefox v3.6.10 or the v4 beta.
  
  I've tried a comparison of webpage loads from a cleared cache (using CCleaner) and Firefox wins on both the untweaked version and is much faster with the tweaked version (About:Config) as its optimised for my particular network - opening tabs in IE9 takes forever for me (10 seconds with 8+ tabs on 24MB/s ADSL). Firefox only starts to slow down once you've loaded up your fair share of addons, that's to be expected. Still not convinced.
  

  ||Intel QX6700 @3.3GHz|Gigabyte X48-DS5|XFX 5970 2GB B.E.|OCZ Reaper DDR2 800MHZ|X-Fi Champ Ed.|Logitech G5 + G15|Vista Home Prem. x64|2x WD Raptor 150GB|1TB WD RE3|LG GGW-H20L Super Multi Blu-Ray/HD-DVD||

  22.9.2010 20:49 #5

• DVDBack23

  Just installed here...finally an IE that I can open without disgust
  

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  22.9.2010 22:13 #6

• Pop_Smith

  Originally posted by DVDBack23: Just installed here...finally an IE that I can open without disgust Agreed, while I'm still going to recommend that anyone uses Chrome or Firefox as their primary browser for security reasons; the browsing experience with IE 9 actually got rid of the instant "Yuk!" factor that came to my mind when I heard "I use IE 6-8".

  22.9.2010 23:52 #7

• KillerBug

  Originally posted by Pop_Smith: Once it's released Microsoft needs to make IE9 a mandatory update from any previous IE.
  Seems a bit extreme...the only good use for internet explorer is for sites that are poorly written to the point that they don't work with other browsers (like a few of the USDA pages)...and all of those sites work best on IE8. (actually, they work best with IE4, but IE4 is ancient history)

  23.9.2010 06:01 #8

• Jemborg

  Bah.
  
  I only use IE when I want to download updates from M$.
  

  Its a lot easier being righteous than right.
  
  
  

  23.9.2010 12:13 #9

• Pop_Smith

  Originally posted by KillerBug: Seems a bit extreme...and all of those sites work best on IE8. Actually, IE 8 (since IE 9 doesn't work on XP) should be a required update for XP because it comes with the bane that is IE 6.
  
  A big reason I wish IE 9 would be a mandatory update is because it makes IE compliant with web standards which means it greatly reduces the time required to build a website.
  
  I would love to see a really heavy campaign to get people to update to IE 9 though just like MS did with IE 8.
  

  http://www.megavideo.com/?v=V1VZAD0O <-- Brian Regan "Take Luck" video.
  
  "The only people who should buy Monster cable are people who light cigars with Benjamins." - Gizmodo

  23.9.2010 12:51 #10

• Mez

  Originally posted by Dardandec: Oh look, nobody doing any browser wars tonight, must all be twatting or on farcebook.
  Anyhoo, come on the ie9 Could you be a little less rude? I actually agree with your sentiments but your comments are worded a bit childishly. I know I can be rude but for a purpose. I have seen two rude and senseless comments you made but to back to back. I don't know if you are trying to add humor or color to your statements but it is not working for me.
  
  Any opinions?

  23.9.2010 13:06 #11

• kikzm33z

  Ha.
  
  Just downloaded the beta, waited 15 minutes for it to install and stuff just to find out that it doesn't seem to work on my PC.
  
  As soon as I start it up it gives me the error 'Internet Explorer has just stopped working'.
  
  I have Windows 7 64-bit and yes, I downloaded the correct version for my PC. Can't even give it a try...
  

  23.9.2010 13:07 #12

• Dardandec

  Originally posted by Mez: Originally posted by Dardandec: Oh look, nobody doing any browser wars tonight, must all be twatting or on farcebook.
  Anyhoo, come on the ie9 Could you be a little less rude? I actually agree with your sentiments but your comments are worded a bit childishly. I know I can be rude but for a purpose. I have seen two rude and senseless comments you made but to back to back. I don't know if you are trying to add humor or color to your statements but it is not working for me.
  
  Any opinions? Hi, Mez, ok twatting might be severe for a browser comment , im in full support of ie9, loved ie8, cant wait till it is out of beta tho, as for other offensive comment, im puzzled, if you mean "come on the ie9",it's a supportive statement and not meant to be rude.
  Once again i'm off to TeachBook for another 100 lines, yipee.

  23.9.2010 13:40 #13

• Jemborg

  Originally posted by Dardandec: Originally posted by Mez: Originally posted by Dardandec: Oh look, nobody doing any browser wars tonight, must all be twatting or on farcebook.
  Anyhoo, come on the ie9 Could you be a little less rude? I actually agree with your sentiments but your comments are worded a bit childishly. I know I can be rude but for a purpose. I have seen two rude and senseless comments you made but to back to back. I don't know if you are trying to add humor or color to your statements but it is not working for me.
  
  Any opinions? Hi, Mez, ok twatting might be severe for a browser comment , im in full support of ie9, loved ie8, cant wait till it is out of beta tho, as for other offensive comment, im puzzled, if you mean "come on the ie9",it's a supportive statement and not meant to be rude.
  Once again i'm off to TeachBook for another 100 lines, yipee. Is it because you're a cheerful supporter of IE when others think it's just shite that you make such a comment?
  
  What do you particularly like about it? Can you block ads with IE now? ~ really I don't know.
  

  Its a lot easier being righteous than right.
  
  
  

  23.9.2010 16:06 #14

• Dardandec

  Originally posted by Jemborg: Originally posted by Dardandec: Originally posted by Mez: Originally posted by Dardandec: Oh look, nobody doing any browser wars tonight, must all be twatting or on farcebook.
  Anyhoo, come on the ie9 Could you be a little less rude? I actually agree with your sentiments but your comments are worded a bit childishly. I know I can be rude but for a purpose. I have seen two rude and senseless comments you made but to back to back. I don't know if you are trying to add humor or color to your statements but it is not working for me.
  
  Any opinions? Hi, Mez, ok twatting might be severe for a browser comment , im in full support of ie9, loved ie8, cant wait till it is out of beta tho, as for other offensive comment, im puzzled, if you mean "come on the ie9",it's a supportive statement and not meant to be rude.
  Once again i'm off to TeachBook for another 100 lines, yipee. Is it because you're a cheerful supporter of IE when others think it's just shite that you make such a comment?
  
  What do you particularly like about it? Can you block ads with IE now? ~ really I don't know. Well yes i like ie, also like other browsers too, just prefer ie thats all ,and i block adverts using peerblock when i want too, and the comment was a wind up since nobody was biting each others head off with the usual my browser is better than yours bull, everyone to their own, and no matter what we are all here on AfterDawn using differant os's, browsers and security software, linked together in "perfect harmony?".
  

  23.9.2010 16:33 #15

• Jemborg

  Heh.
  
  Do you think the 64 bit version is much improvement?
  
  Also, can you load, say, Rick's Easy List into peerblock?
  
  
  

  Its a lot easier being righteous than right.
  
  
  

  24.9.2010 09:57 #16

• Zealousi

  Originally posted by hikaricor: idiots agreed, too many stupid people
  

  24.9.2010 12:12 #17

• bobiroc

  2.1 million people. Here I thought nobody wanted to use IE and were only forced to use it yet 2.1 Million people. So about 12 people every second downloaded the beta within the first 2 days without Microsoft Update prompting them and they had to go find the download themselves. See people are not FORCED to use it.
  
  As far as the IE9 on XP argument goes IE9 offers many features that cannot be of any use on Windows XP due to Windows XP old and tired OS kernel. IE9 will offer little advantage if any over IE8 on Windows XP because XP cannot utilize most (if not all) of IE9's enhancements.
  

  AMD Phenom II 965 @ 3.6Ghz, 8GB DDR3, ATI Radeon 5770HD, 300GB 10,000RPM Raptor, 2TB Additional HDD, Windows 7 Ultimate.

  24.9.2010 20:42 #18

• Baccusboy

  Forcing users to use IE9 isn't possible. Might as well get that pipe dream out of your heads now. Our university just purchased several new I5 computers and they downgraded them to XP. Why? Because the universities software won't run on anything higher than that, and they're still too stubborn to spend money to upgrade it. IE 8 doesn't even run the software necessary for editing/creating our webpages for students.
  
  I would like to see a force to IE7, but the sad fact is that overseas, most computers running XP in places like our school also run imaging software that automatically reverts to IE6. This allows them to do whatever they want through ActiveX.
  
  What's needed is for websites to drop IE6 support entirely.

  24.9.2010 21:29 #19

• Baccusboy

  Oh, and I should add, a lot of these great "features" allowed on newer versions of IE are only "great" for web developers who seek to plaster your screen with disgusting, bandwidth sucking, innovatively annoying pop-up ads that they can sell to companies.

  24.9.2010 21:33 #20

• bobiroc

  Originally posted by Baccusboy: Oh, and I should add, a lot of these great "features" allowed on newer versions of IE are only "great" for web developers who seek to plaster your screen with disgusting, bandwidth sucking, innovatively annoying pop-up ads that they can sell to companies. Wow you truly do not know what you are talking about do you.
  

  AMD Phenom II 965 @ 3.6Ghz, 8GB DDR3, ATI Radeon 5770HD, 300GB 10,000RPM Raptor, 2TB Additional HDD, Windows 7 Ultimate.

  24.9.2010 21:53 #21

• Pop_Smith

  Originally posted by Baccusboy: Forcing users to use IE9 isn't possible. Might as well get that pipe dream out of your heads now. Our university just purchased several new I5 computers and they downgraded them to XP. The college I'm currently attending is running XP on all of their machines. However, the IT department upgraded them all to IE8 and Firefox. Some of the labs also have Chrome installed.
  
  Originally posted by Baccusboy: What's needed is for websites to drop IE6 support entirely. IE 6 usage is dropping, except in China. A site that provides services for only U.K. or U.S. consumers could ignore IE6 if they felt the additional coding time or cost was too great. The usage rates are incredibly low with NetAnalytics showing rates of 5.39% and 5.32%, respectively.
  

  http://www.megavideo.com/?v=V1VZAD0O <-- Brian Regan "Take Luck" video.
  
  "The only people who should buy Monster cable are people who light cigars with Benjamins." - Gizmodo

  25.9.2010 02:43 #22