Exploring Internet Explorer 9
This section of the Windows® Internet Explorer® 9 Deployment Guide describes features new to Internet Explorer 9, and updates to tools in Internet Explorer 9.
Internet Explorer 9 provides new and updated features for users, developers, and IT professionals. These include:
Hardware-accelerated graphics and text rendering. As an example of how Internet Explorer 9 takes advantage of the power of the whole computer, rendering of graphics and text has been moved from the CPU to the graphics card. This is done using the Direct2D and DirectWrite sets of Windows application programming interfaces (APIs). The result is that your websites perform like applications installed directly on your Windows computer.
Support for modern standards. Through active participation in standards development organizations, Microsoft is actively helping to bring modern web standards to the Internet. Internet Explorer 9 implements standards that won’t change overnight. Our investment in standards and interoperability enable developers to write one set of markup and have it work across browsers.
Seamless Windows 7 integration. Accessing and using your favorite sites is easier in Internet Explorer 9 because of its integration with Windows 7. You can pin a website to your Windows taskbar, allowing you to access it without first opening your browser. Other familiar Windows 7 features, such as Jump Lists, thumbnail preview controls, and Windows Aero Snap, are all supported in Internet Explorer 9.
Clean browser user interface. The browser user interface in Internet Explorer 9 is simplified, and places the focus on the content of websites. By default, only the controls essential for browsing are in the browser frame.
For more information about features and tools available in Internet Explorer 9, see the following topics: