Today, at MIX'10, Microsoft will announce its IE 9 Platform Preview. If you're a consumer, or individual PC user, with no developer needs, this release is not for you. But if you're curious where Microsoft is taking its web browser, here's some info you can use.
First, there will be a public download of the IE 9 Platform Preview.
Microsoft has also created a Test Drive site, a set of Web pages and applications designed to showcase features and enhancements included in the latest platform preview.
The new IE 9 script engine is codenamed "Chakra."
IE 9 focuses very much on three key themes:
Best interoperable HTML5
Hardware Accelerated Graphics
High Performance Browser
And of course, Microsoft will have a lengthy post on the IE Blog this morning describing its efforts.
Doing HTML5 right – our intent from the start – is more about designing our browser’s subsystems around what these new applications will need than it is about a particular set of features. From the beginning, we approached IE9 with the goal of enabling professional-grade, modern HTML5 support on top of modern hardware through Windows.
What's not being said: Schedule. UI.
I'm curious to see how people respond to these developments.