[PCWorld]

Post your comments for Internet Explorer 8: A Complete Review here

[waldenasta]

Wow!! Good Review. I have IE8 RC1 and has used it some on my laptop but is still using Firefox for my everyday browsing. I will give IE8 a chance after the I download the final version today.

[Internet2k4]

Excellent review and good tip on tailoring cookie removal to exclude Favorites. My experience with IE8 RC has been very good, and recently FF3.0 has been "acting up" though I continue to default to FF because of several of the add-ons. (I find IE8 on my XP machines just a little faster than FF3.0 but just a little slower than Chrome or FF3.1, both of which are lacking in other departments.) Note that IE7-Pro add-on also works on the new IE8, and adds some very good functionality, including automatic sync of Favorites across multiple machines using the same Hotmail login.

[technicalhitman]

As someone who has been actively beta testing Windows 7 build 7000 and now the updated build 7057, my experiences with IE 8 have been very positive. I just upgraded my Vista 32 bit IE over to version 8 from 7 and the experience just about the same. Very strong, snappy, responsive, and definitely a much better version of Internet Explorer. Using IE 8, this is a browser thats 200% safer than running IE 6. Its definitely much better than IE7. The new tools, accelerators, built in security features, and now standards compliancy features make this one of the better versions. This isn't your mom and pop's IE.

My advice to Firefox, Chrome, and Safari users on Windows is to try it. Give IE 8 a fair shot. If Firefox, Chrome, Opera, and Safari are still available if you really do not like it for any reason. However, this browser has a lot of things that may surprise you. It might not be as great in the add on department, but for general all purpose browsing, you simply cannot beat IE 8.

However, this version does deserve some trial and putting through the paces of everday browsing before you render a judgement. Give it several days of evaluation and trial before giving a verdict. However, I think many of you will be surprise that Microsoft with IE 8 and Windows 7 is uping Microsoft's game and profile. Apple and the others better be worried.

[jrbales]

I've been using IE 8.0 RC-1 since it was released. As soon as I found MS had released the IE 8 today, I downloaded it and am very pleased! I use the accellerators all the time and have used Compatibility View successfully as necessary (the release version seems to do a better job automatically applying itself when necessary than did RC-1). IE 8 is a BIG improvement over prior MS browsers!

[WinTard]

I am simply thrilled by IE8. Much better than IE7. Not for the 'looks' but for the performance and efficiency.

[tadscsi]

I haven't had the opportunity to run IE8 yet, simply because I need to set a machine for that so I can still test in older versions (starting to run out of machines that leave all options open) I'm sure there will be some features that beg greater competition in some people's minds from its rivals. But my experience with 7 tells me not to hold my breath for proper handling of .pngs in transitional scenes - as in .pngs during dynamic resizes - IE just totally destroys drop shadows and the like.
Before I can make anymore definitive remarks as to how it handles advanced Javascript I will test IE8 later today on a brand new machine I am building this afternoon - just waiting for the final parts.
That said - this business about it being more productive for the common user is in my mind - a spurious claim at best, and outright misleading at worst. Given that there pre-exists (including a 'porn mode') numerous easily obtained add-ons for Firefox, or even the built-in spell checking that have always easily bested any claims made in reviews past favoring IE - I remain a skeptic.
Additionally - how close to WC3 standards did IE stick - is it another ploy (with issues yet undiscovered) to force web developers to spend special time extensively re-writing websites to make them work properly in IE8?
I doubt the reviewer here ever really investigated Firefox or he might be noting that MS is finally getting some semblance of stuff that has been available to Firefox Users FOR YEARS. I bet I could name 12 or more add-ons that would instantly make FF infinitely more productive.

[brunomac]

With one 21% in the acid3 test...
IE 8 is the worst browser of the world ever...at least in the last years
Microsoft should not be allowed to use the words "internet" and "web"...They dont understand the meaning of the word "standards"

[jakemgold]

There's a lot of end users here touting IE8 without understanding its issues under the hood. Unfortunately, throwing out Acid3 doesn't mean much to the average user.

[LindaA]

Hmmm, I don't know. Believe it or not, I'm still using IE6 myself and have never had any security problems with it, I guess because I always keep my security programs updated.

I'm hesitant to switch browsers, even from one version of IE to another, because the last time I tried switching browsers (from IE to Firefox), it was NOT a pleasant experience! However, after reading the ComputerWorld review of IE8, I may or may not FINALLY make the switch from my good ol' reliable IE6, I don't know. Although a couple of IE8's features -- Accelerators and Web Slices -- sound gimmicky, the new security features do not.

[Jesant13]

I have used Windows Internet Explorer 8 but I prefer Mozilla Firefox 3.1 Beta 2 more, particularly because of security, add-ons, and the fact the browser is less clutered.