[rosalind dna (OP)]

I have just done a Windows AV update scan and it asked me if I want to install the IE 8 browser.

I do not know anything about it, such as is it a faster, saver browser than IE7
which I am using now as well as GoogleChrome, that's too slow for me whereas
I find IE faster upload or downlaoding.

Also does IE8 look clearer and tidier than IE7 does now?

Thanks Rosalind

[techmind]

Windows has been offering (pushing) IE8 via Windows Update since last Tuesday.
I haven't tried it yet, but it is the succesor to IE7 and sooner or later (6-9months I guess) Microsoft will stop releasing patches and bugfixes for IE7 and you'll be forced to move over.

Personally, I'll wait a few more weeks to allow more (inevitable) bugs to be ironed out...

[rosalind dna (OP)]

Windows has been offering (pushing) IE8 via Windows Update since last Tuesday.
I haven't tried it yet, but it is the succesor to IE7 and sooner or later (6-9months I guess) Microsoft will stop releasing patches and bugfixes for IE7 and you'll be forced to move over.

Personally, I'll wait a few more weeks to allow more (inevitable) bugs to be ironed out...

Thanks techmind but yesterday was the first that Microsoft had asked/offered me the IE8 browser, I clicked on "Don't Install" being cautious mainly.
Yes good idea I'll wait for a bit until
I do install the replacement for this IE7 to IE8 as you'd advised.

[syhprum]

I use IE8 the only complaint I have with it is that it is sometimes reluctent to download PDF's then I swap to Safari, no big problem

[rosalind dna (OP)]

I use IE8 the only complaint I have with it is that it is sometimes reluctent to download PDF's then I swap to Safari, no big problem

Thanks syhprum and this morning, I have just been asked by my MSN thing if I wantt to change to IE8 but I do use GoogleChrome.
Although with GoogleChrome, I can't find the tools facility on that browser. Or other things that I can easily use on IE.

I do use GoogleChrome for PDGs sometimes or scan them through.

[techmind]

Ok, I've been using IE8 at work for a few days now.

It's got a few neat features like colour-coding "tabs" where you've spawned one tab from another. It remembers lots of extra 'history' which is neat in that if you've shut down the browser you can re-open where you left off, including all tabs (how often have you shut down the whole of IE7 when really you only intended to close one tab?). Even just opening a new empty tab 'suggests' the recent sites you've been to. On the other hand this presents more of a privacy/potential embarrassment risk - so they've also added 'in private' browsing which is a mode which doesn't remember all this 'helpful' history.

On the flip side, I've had it go "Not Responding" and need to be closed down with Task Manager a couple of times now, on very mainstream websites.
Quite a few sites don't fully load or aren't fully functional in IE8 - this may be because IE8 is purportedly more standards-compliant... but IE8 does have an IE7 'compatibilty' mode which you can choose to use (per site) which works as IE7.

I don't know how the security compares with IE7 (there's probably supposed to be improvements), but I've heard quite a few security concerns with Chrome, so IE8 might well be safer than Chrome.