Interested in checking out the new Web platform abilities of Internet Explorer 9? This download is a public download of the IE 9 Platform Preview., the Platform Preview is an early look at the Internet Explorer 9 platform so some features are incomplete, some may change, and some may be added. Better performance, HTML5 video and canvas, more awesome demos in this preview download.

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

Please Note: ahat is critical to note is the fact that the IE9 Platform Preview is not the full Internet Explorer browser. Instead, what Microsoft is offering is a lightweight frame around the IE platform. The preview is usable, but at the same time it is designed for developers and not for end users. As a dev, you will be happy to know that the IE9 Platform Preview has developer tools included by default, but not a back button for end users. Demonstrations and the actual bits were released on IETestDrive.com.

Microsoft asks that you refrain from providing feedback on features where noted that they are either partially implemented or not available. Microsoft is aware of their condition and will provide updates in future releases. Similarly, for known issues, Microsoft is also aware of their existence and are actively working on them.

1. Hardware acceleration.
IE9 uses Microsoft's DirectX technologies-best known for their use in games-to leverage the power of today's graphics processors to speed up the rendering of Web pages, without requiring Web developers to do anything in particular. The feature lets the browser display high-quality text and graphics faster: The Platform Preview includes a striking demo in which oversized icons for the major browsers fly around the screen in formation at high speed. In Safari and Chrome, the icons drag along at a crawl; they're a bit snappier in Firefox and Opera, but they don't look as good or zip as smoothly as in IE9.

2. Scalable vector graphics.
SVG is a Web standard for displaying line-oriented images like drawings, charts, and architectural drawings at any resolution without jaggies. It's been around for a decade without ever catching on. But until now, it's labored at a severe disadvantage: Internet Explorer hasn't supported it natively. With IE9, Microsoft's browser does SVG. I don't think it's a given that the standard will finally have a major impact on the Web-site proprietors will have to start using it. But it'll finally stand a chance.

3. HTML5:
Microsoft is building IE9 to support HTML5, the nascent next-generation standard that will permit Web sites to deliver the rich interactivity associated today with Adobe's Flash and Microsoft's SilverLight without the use of plug-ins. Among other things, it'll let browsers display video natively, although this feature isn't yet working in the IE9 Preview.

The HTML5 situation remains murky: Video needs to be compressed using a particular codec, and Safari and Chrome support H.264 while Firefox and Opera use the open-source Ogg Theora standard. (That's why YouTube's experimental HTML5 version works only in the Apple and Google browsers-YouTube opted for H.264, not Theora.) Microsoft representatives told me that IE9 will be part of the H.264 camp.

With three of the five big browsers using H.264, it'll be interesting to see if Mozilla (whose support of Theora is passionate) and Opera cave and go with the majority. (As much as I like open standards, I think it oughta: Without codec standardization, HTML5 video won't go anywhere.)

4. Faster JavaScript: While other browser companies have been busy souping up their JavaScript engines to run Web apps as fast as possible, Microsoft has contended that JavaScript performance isn't that important. That position may stem in part from the fact that IE8 runs JavaScript at a crawl compared to the competition. With IE9, however, Microsoft is back in the race. IE9 sports a new JavaScript engine called Chakra, which compiles scripts on the fly so it can run them much faster. The company is sharing numbers from the SunSpider JavaScript benchmark that show IE9 neck-and-neck with Firefox, and just slightly behind Chrome, Opera, and Safari. And it says it's still tweaking IE9 to maximize performance.

Features Available
Canvas: In the latest Platform Preview we support all Canvas element APIs and most Canvas 2D Context APIs and attributes.
<video> MP4 H.264 playback support, using hardware or program decoding Support for WebM program is not included in this release
<audio> MP3 and AAC audio support window.msPerformance. This API is being worked in partnership with members of the W3C and is subject to change

The license of this software is Freeware, you can free download and free use this web browser software.