Tuesday, January 27, 2009 3:13 PM/EST
Click here to see screenshots of IE 8
With the release of Internet Explorer 8 Release Candidate 1, we are finally in the home stretch of the long trip to the latest version of the Microsoft Web browser.
And since this is a release candidate, this means that, unless there is a major problem found, this version of Internet Explorer 8 is pretty much the version that will be officially released. So, how will IE 8 stack up?
Well, if compared solely with earlier versions of Internet Explorer, IE 8 is a massive improvement that boosts the usability, security and flexibility of the Microsoft browser.
However, this won't be the case. IE 8 will instead be compared with the latest versions of Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Apple Safari and Opera. And based on these comparisons, IE 8 RC 1 only looks so-so.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008 2:15 PM/EST
Click here to see screenshots
Yesterday, Dec. 15, I posted my review of the new Google Chrome browser, which is no longer a beta. Without a doubt Google Chrome is a very impressive new entry in the Web browser market and will have a big impact on how browser interfaces are built in the future.
But Google Chrome isn't without its own shortcomings. As I point out in the review, Chrome is the least customizable browser out today. And it has more than a few of the weaknesses typical in a 1.0 release.
Since posting the review, I've already had a few questions and comments from readers about issues that weren't covered in the review.
Friday, October 10, 2008 4:20 PM/EST
Click here to see the screenshots & photos
In the eWEEK special report "Technology in 2009", I look at many of the new product and company announcements of recent months and use this information to predict some of the key emerging technology trends that we should expect to see for 2009.
To go along with this special report, I've also compiled this slideshow showing some of the recent and recently announced products that are good examples of the technologies expected to gain prominence in 2009. These products should help, or are already helping, to push these important technologies forward.
So take a look at this slideshow of The Important Technologies of 2009. And also read the Tech Most Likely to be Ignored in 2009, in which I look at some technologies that should be important and receive attention in 2009 but will likely be mostly ignored.
Thursday, September 18, 2008 9:29 AM/EST
Click here to see the gallery
The browser wars are back, and bigger then ever.
That's right. While the original browser war was basically a two part affair between Microsoft and Netscape, we now have several players releasing new browsers, innovating on web features, and in general pushing the browser market forward.
As I've argued, this is a good thing. And unlike some applications, anyone can easily try out any browser available today, as all are free to download and use.
And since this latest wave of browsers has introduced lots of new features and capabilities, we here at eWEEK's Emerging Technology site thought that the best way to show some of the new features was to use screenshots of how the various browsers implement these features.
So click here to see our gallery of screenshots in The New Browser Wars in Pictures.
Tuesday, September 02, 2008 4:48 PM/EST
Click here to see the screenshots
REVIEW: Based on initial tests, Google Chrome looks to be an exciting and impressive new entry into the Web browser field.
Today a new player enters the browser wars and it represents the biggest change to the field since the day that Microsoft decided to take on Netscape. With the surprise launch of the beta of Google Chrome, the Web and search giant has already changed the current browser landscape and is poised to potentially change the future of the Web.
And before I go any further I just want to clarify that I've only had a short few hours with the new Google Web browser, and subsequent and sustained use may reveal issues that would change my view of the browser.
But right now, based on this short amount of testing, Google Chrome may just be the most impressive new Web browser that I have ever seen. While there are still a few beta hiccups, much of the experience of using Google Chrome just feels like the way that a browser should work.
Thursday, August 14, 2008 4:08 PM/EST
Click here to see the slide show
 Today Google dominates Web search to such a degree that new challengers such as Wikia Search and Cuil are shrugged aside before they even have a chance to show what they can do. But it wasn't that long ago that Google was the small-fry upstart given little chance to unseat the dominant search engines of the day.
From early on in the growth of the Web, most users' first action was to try to find new and relevant content, and search engines quickly grew to fill that need. And unlike most other core elements of the Web, which tend to be open and standards-based, for the most part Web search has been done by commercial companies using patented and closed methodologies. This has led to a good deal of competition and growth but has set search apart from the rest of the Web.
Still, Web search has seen its fair share of innovation, and from the early days of the Web to today, search engines have greatly influenced the direction of the Web and the Internet.
In this list of The 10 Most Innovative Web Search Engines, I look back at some of the search engines that had a big impact on how people used the Web and how the Web itself grew. Take a look and let me know what search engines and sites you thought were the most influential and innovative.
Tuesday, July 01, 2008 10:53 AM/EST
Click here to see screenshots
REVIEW: When it comes to document collaboration and sharing, there can be little argument that most of this activity is moving to the web. But there can also be little argument that the current slate of Web-based tools come up short in features and capabilities when compared to desktop tools.
Perhaps what is needed is a hybrid approach, something that combines the strong feature set of a desktop application with the easy collaboration of a web-based approach. If this is truly the case, then Adobe may be on the right track.
That's because the latest release of their flagship Acrobat document platform is definitely focused on combining Acrobat's strong document editing and creation features with broad web-based collaboration, sharing and conferencing tools.
To do this Acrobat 9, which was released in June, relies heavily on the recently released Acrobat.com to provide web-based collaboration and sharing tools, as well as leveraging other products from the Adobe portfolio to add conferencing and live document reviewing features. And while there are few completely new capabilities in the core Acrobat feature set, many of been overhauled and improved to such a degree that they feel like completely new features.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008 8:27 AM/EST
Click here to see screenshots
REVIEW: At first glance, it doesn't look that different from previous versions of the browser. And while there are nice improvements from a usability standpoint, there's nothing radically different for Web users.
But appearances can be deceiving. And with its release today, Firefox 3 is poised to usher in a new phase of Web browsing that will change how Web applications are built and delivered, and even how most of us use and think of the Web.
That's because most of the innovations of Firefox 3 are under the covers. Among the major new features in Firefox 3 are its offline capabilities and its ability to seamlessly interact with Web-based applications and services. With these enhancements, Firefox 3 makes it possible for sites to deliver applications and content that people can use—even when they aren't connected to the Internet—and that work with a browser in much the same way that traditional applications work with an operating system.
In this way, Firefox 3 may make it possible to finally deliver on the old promise of the Web as operating system. Because of these features, along with many welcome usability, security and performance enhancements, I am awarding Firefox 3 an eWEEK Analysts' Choice Award; as of this moment, it is clearly the top choice in Web browsers.
Thursday, June 12, 2008 3:10 PM/EST
Click here to see screenshots
REVIEW: It has a tiny percentage of market share compared with the bigger players such as Microsoft and Mozilla. And if you ask your non-techie friends if they've every heard of it they'll probably say that they don't like opera music.
But one can easily make a very good case that, outside of the early Mosaic and Netscape Web browsers, no other Web browser has been as innovative or introduced more new features and interface standards than the Opera browser.
And with the release of Opera 9.5, Opera has succeeded in some small innovations in browser usage and has streamlined and improved what was already the most powerful and customizable browser interface available today.
But this isn't as groundbreaking or innovative as some of the past Opera releases. And while Opera 9.5 adds some new security features and capabilities, these don't live up to the innovation and ease of use one normally expects from Opera.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008 11:21 AM/EST
Click here to see the list
Back during Microsoft's antitrust battles, one of the arguments that the company made to defend itself was that antitrust penalties would stifle Microsoft's ability to innovate. At the time this drew more than a few chuckles from onlookers who struggled to find much in the way of innovations from the software giant.
And this is true on the technical side. It can definitely be hard to come up with any significant technical innovations from Microsoft. But that doesn't mean Microsoft isn't innovative.
During the Bill Gates era Microsoft has come up with truly unique, innovative and effective business processes and competitive strategies that have helped make it one of the most powerful companies in the world. In many ways they've written the book on how to build and maintain a dominating monopoly.
So in honor of Bill Gates' impending retirement here's my list of 10 "innovations" that have helped propel Microsoft to the top of the technology market. Take a look at and let me know what would be on your list.
|
