Redmond (ip-192.com): Microsoft’s new Internet Explorer 9 (IE 9) will feature HTML5 integration, background compiled JavaScript, and scalable vector graphics (SVG) capability. IE 9 is also expected to run faster, since it will offload tasks usually handled within the browser to the graphics processor. It has also the capability to use CPU cores to handle certain elements of web pages.

Some CSS3 features such as opacity will be supported, Microsoft said during a platform preview. Since the software is not even in Beta, which is estimated to be released in May 2010, it still has many rough edges such as a missing back button. Microsoft hopes that the new release will help to stop bleeding market share to its rivals. Mozilla’s Firefox now accounts for almost 25 percent market share, and Google’s Chrome is also gaining ground at the expense of Internet Explorer.

The preview tries to give developers something to work with, a target for their website code. The new browser engine's Acid3 score climbed from 20 to 55 out of 100 on the test in the preview, so there is still room to improve the number until the final version is released. When this time will come is not clear yet. Developers interested in the new release can have a look at the preview here.

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