IE8 released, not impressing many people

Webline

ChannelWeb ( www.cm.com ) reports that the release of IE8 is "underwhelming".
   "Microsoft Internet Explorer users aren`t exactly rushing to embrace IE 8, the new release of the Web browser that debuted Thursday.

As of 1 p.m. EDT Friday, usage of IE 8 accounted for only 1.56 percent
of global Internet traffic, according to StatCounter Global Stats.
That`s up only slightly from 1.39 percent on Thursday.
"I suppose the kindest description of user reaction to IE 8`s
first public outing would be `underwhelming,`" said Aodhan Cullen,
StatCounter founder and CEO, in a statement.
StatCounter is a Web site traffic-monitoring service vendor. It
analyzes Internet usage trends based on some 4 billion Internet
pageloads per month.

Cullen contrasted IE 8`s debut performance to adoption of the Firefox 3 Web browser when it was released last June. Usage of Firefox
3, which accounted for 7.8 percent of Web usage during its beta
testing, more than doubled to 18.9 percent during a three-day period
after its formal release.
IE 8 has received mixed reviews from testers and early users.
There have been published reports that the browser has caused system
crashes and some Web sites don`t display properly using the software. The browser also has compatibility issues with Web standards, such as CSS, HTML4 and XHTML when tested with The Web Standards Project`s Acid Test 3.

Microsoft is counting on IE 8 to help reverse erosion of its share of
the Web browser market. Microsoft IE has been losing ground to
competitors, such as Apple`s Safari, Google`s Chrome and the
open-source Firefox from Mozilla."
I think it`s safe to say there`s no need to start redesigning sites just to make IE8 happy. I know the beta version I had used ( and quickly quit using ) wasn`t doing very many websites any favors.

vwebworld

I have not tried it yet... and am going to wait a while before I do.

nevadascul

I prefer Fire Fox.  Been using Fire Fox for over a year without the problems IE had.

MattTurpin

If there`s one thing Microsoft hasn`t had to learn to deal with in much of its history, it`s a fair fight. Microsoft is still the proverbial 500lb gorilla, used to getting its way simply by strong-arming the competition and throwing its weight around. Now the other gorillas are bigger and tougher than anything Microsoft has had to face thus far, and I think Microsoft has gone sluggish in its old age. There`s a whole different mindset for an organization striving to be the best, vs an organization just trying to stay on top. The former stay sharp and adaptable, and the latter eventually grow sluggish and complacent. With any luck, the computer/internet market will become a lot more competitive.
MattTurpin3/23/2009 4:51 AM

Videography

Regardless what *we* use, IE8 is integral to Windows 7.  When "7" is released to the OEM`s later this year, our sites had better be ready for it.
I am using a beta version of "7" and so far, it`s running fine.  Better than Vista on the same computer.  I haven`t seen any problem sites in IE8 yet.