- Quick specs
- Price: Free
- Operating system: Windows XP/2003/Vista
- Date added: March 19, 2009
- Total Downloads: 12,726,553
- Downloads last week: 55,037
- See full specifications
- CNET editors' rating: stars
- Average user rating: stars out of 1434 votes
See all user reviews
CNET editors' review
Reviewed by: Seth Rosenblatt on March 19, 2009
Internet Explorer 8 addresses just about all of the major concerns that users and critics have had with the world's most used browser. Whether they get answered in a way you like is another matter.
There are several new and interesting features. Web Slices lets you save predefined sections of a Web page for at-a-glance viewing. Instead of going to a traffic Web site for updates, the latest commuting news comes to you. Similarly, Accelerators make repetitive tasks one-click behaviors, for instance finding directions or blogging. InPrivate browsing introduces a cache and history on-off switch, while related tabs are color-coded and automatically reorganized as you open them. There's also tab sandboxing, which means that when a tab crashes, IE itself won't, and it even tries to resurrect the page that crashed.
There's a greater emphasis on Web standards and security than before. The SmartScreen and cross-site scripting filters throw up a red warning page when you're about to visit an unsafe site. There's also domain highlighting, which grays out the name of the URL you're looking at except for the domain itself. This sounds simple, but effectively draws attention to spoofed site URLs. There's also a compatibility button so that sites designed specifically for IE 7 and earlier can still be viewed.
IE 8 lacks a default "smart" location bar that many other browsers have, but you can search your history and most visited pages from there. Also, the installation process still requires a reboot--unimpressive, to say the least. Drawbacks aside, there's no reason to not upgrade if you're an old fan of IE, and there's even a few things in IE 8 for new users.
Publisher's description
From Microsoft :Internet Explorer 8 adds accelerators to provide instant access to information like maps, web searches, translations, email, blogging, and more; faster performance; a smart address bar; improved privacy protection; and Compatibility View for displaying websites designed for older browsers.
CNET Editor's Note: The Download Now link will take you to the Microsoft download site, where you can select your operating system.
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User reviews
- Average user rating: 2.4 stars out of 1434 votes
- My rating: 0 stars Write review
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Showing 5 of 337 user reviewsSee all 337 user reviews
This software version | All versions -
Version: Internet Explorer 8
"I do not like this browser any more"
Pros: it looks good, but that is it
Cons: Pop up blockers do not work and if they do, it makes a beeping sound that sounds like a BIOS beep. I have no idea why they put that sound in there. It crashes daily, actually every 20 minutes or so. It does restore tabs, but still very annoying.
Summary: I used IE for a long time and I had a few problems with the older versions all the time. I was like the average person who had no idea that there were other ways to surf the Internet. I thought IE was it, so it was all I used and I just dealt with t... read more >>
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Version: Internet Explorer 8
"IT CANT KEEP COMPATIBLE WITH MICROSOFT PRODUCTS??"
Pros: I had hoped for more and it looked good for a minute but...It is smaller faster and looks as if it can do the job it is marketed to do.
Cons: It is not compatible with windows 7 no matter what they claim i have 7 from vista and it was just fine in vista great,in 7 it is worse than bad, it balks, and hangs up all the time and there is no answer. it will not open tabs from its own home page
Summary: I can not use it, period. not that i dont want to, i do but it crashes all the time just trying to go to a second tab or third etc. i have put all options on default, have mixed and matched and spent hours trying to make it work but no go. i cant ... read more >>
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Version: Internet Explorer 8
"If your runnin' Vista SP2.. this IS the best browser."
Pros: Intergrated helpful accelrators, Great pop-up block and great speed.
Cons: Resource hungry, recommend to install Spybot and Spyware Blaster for immunization for blocking bad url's and malware.
Summary: I've been reading the other reviews for fun since IE8 came out on this site. Seems the reviews by users mostly are very bad.
IE has very useful features if looked into properly and lets face it.. 99.9% of all websites are fully compatitable w... read more >> -
Version: Internet Explorer 8
Pros: I'll like it when they fix it or come out with IE9.
Cons: I can't even click on 1 thing and the stupid browser error comes up and needs to close down. So besides that fact that I can't browse... what else is there?
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Version: Internet Explorer 8
Pros: NONE THAT I KNOW OF
Cons: VERY LAGGY AND NO ADDONS
Summary: very very bad
- See all 337 user reviews Write review
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