Microsoft released a beta of Internet Explorer 8. I confess this summer I have moved exclusively to Firefox for 90% of my activities. I was curious about the possible changes to compete with Firefox. I foolishly installed Internet Explorer 8 on my computer to evaluate.

The first tragic problem of evaluating IE8 beta is that it overwrites your current version of Internet Explorer. You cannot evaluate it on the side, which presents a problem if you rely on the older version for any reason. I was no longer able to view Netflix videos using the newer browser (it claimed that I had to use a version above 7) even in compatibility mode. Microsoft needs to find a easier way to allow you to run multiple versions of their browser. Especially when you work in web design, you need to see how web pages will appear.

Internet Explorer 8 really doesn’t offer much new on first look. Most of the new features are buried in a menu or require some tutorial to use. Most of the changes appear to allow for more customization. I still think that where Firefox leaves IE 8 behind is the value of add-ons. It is much easier to install and manage add-ons in Firefox than in Internet Explorer. If I want to install a Delicious toolbar, I have to install it like a piece of software. Stupid! In my Add/Remove Programs, I have an instance of the Delicious toolbar installation. If Microsoft is smart, they would steal the add-on management and call it something else. Then they can build apps on top of the browser. They’ve already stole the Awesome Bar idea.

They’ve also added a feature for private browsing, so that your tracks on the Internet are invisible. I wish private browsing was the default to the advertisers’ chagrin. It’s ironic that Microsoft would offer this feature and the open source Mozilla wouldn’t. I don’t want websites knowing who I am, and the more disguised my identity the better.

Little features are not enough to revolutionize the browsing experience. I know that IE7 is an improvement for security, but I still prefer IE6 for its simplicity and customization. The IE8 interface is similar to IE7, and though I like the tab browsing, I dislike the menu organization in the newer iterations of Microsoft’s browser. Since Microsoft has left me no choice, I have to uninstall it until I can run it alongside my current version of IE7 for further investigations.