Microsoft to Release IE9 Today
It’s here. Two years after IE8 was revealed, Microsoft will release the final version of Internet Explorer 9.0 during the South by Southwest Interactive Festival at 9PM PDT. For most of the world, that means it won’t be available until Tuesday, March 15:
| US PDT | March 14, 21:00 |
|---|---|
| US MDT | March 14, 22:00 |
| US CDT | March 14, 23:00 |
| US EDT | March 15, 00:00 |
| UTC/GMT | March 15, 04:00 |
| UK / Ireland | March 15, 04:00 |
| Europe | March 15, 05:00 |
| Eastern Europe | March 15, 6:00 |
| Moscow | March 15, 7:00 |
| India | March 15, 09:30 |
| China | March 15, 12:00 |
| Japan | March 15, 13:00 |
| Australia AWST | March 15, 12:00 |
| Australia ACST | March 15, 13:30 |
| Australia AEST | March 15, 14:00 |
| New Zealand | March 15, 17:00 |
(If you’re excited, it’s worth checking an hour or two before those times.)
The IE9 download will be available from beautyoftheweb.com and the Microsoft Internet Explorer page. I’m sure I don’t need to remind you, but:
- IE9 can be installed on Windows Vista or Windows 7. Despite my continual whining, Microsoft are not likely to release a version for Windows XP. Perhaps it’s time to consider an upgrade?
- IE9 will remove your existing version of Internet Explorer (probably IE8, but some Vista owners may have IE7). You can revert back, but it’s probably better to use XP Mode or other virtual machine software.
Most of us have experienced the beta or release candidate versions of IE9 so there are unlikely to be any major surprises. However, this is the first version which most home and business users will install. Whatever your opinion of Internet Explorer, it remains the world’s most-used browser and IE9 will become an important part of your development life.
There are several important questions to ask yourself:
- Should you install IE9 now or wait until a significant proportion of clients have migrated?
- If you’ve been holding off using HTML5 and CSS3, is it now time to start investigating those technologies?
- Which modern technologies can be used in IE9 and — more importantly — what’s missing?
Will you install IE9 today? Keep an eye on SitePoint for IE9 reviews, tips and tutorials coming soon…