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Issue number: 4
Welcome to the Epicentre newsletter
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Welcome to the fourth edition of the Epicentre newsletter, bringing you a round-up of the latest from the world of software testing, IT development and tech news. In this edition, we give an overview of Microsoft's latest browser, Internet Explorer 8, which saw its public release in March 09. We also take a brief look at what's hot and what's not in the industry, focusing on Apple's iPhone, the current development platform of choice. For more information about any of the features, contact: Ericka Newton Daisy plugs in for greater accessibilityA new bolt-on for Microsoft Word could help improve accessibility in the work place for users with sight-based accessibility requirements. Save-as-DAISY allows users to convert and save files into MP3 format, so files can be listened to through media players or on-the-go on a standard MP3 player. |
HotIE8 - Microsoft's latest browser packs power and advanced functionality to provide an all-round improved browsing experience. A few years later than every other browser available. iPhone Applications - with so many new games and toys available for the fancy phone, it's hard to decide what to buy. Firefox 3.0 - finally hitting the top spot in the European market, Mozilla have succeeded in taking back the web. |
NotGoogle Chrome - a lovely browser. If you've got a PC. Come on Google, make a Mac version! Conficker - the internationally feared virus set to end the world on April Fools day appears to have forgotten to set its alarm clock. Nothing really happened. |
Internet Explorer 8 explored
Internet Explorer 8, Microsoft's latest browser, was released to the public in March 2009, a mere three years after development began. The latest incarnation of IE has introduced an impressive array of features that have been seen in rival browsers, but also adds many of its own that others currently lack.
The development journey for IE8 has been far from smooth, with one feature in particular causing headaches not only for Microsoft, but also for users. The Standards Mode feature, which has allowed IE8 to comply with long-established web standards, has garnered much criticism, with many sites failing to work when the mode is enabled. Unfortunately for many users, these have included banking sites and, ironically, the Microsoft MSN site. This has led to many early-adopters rolling back to IE7 and many others simply seeking an alternative browser. Microsoft made the compatibility mode known to developers early on in the cycle, urging them to test their sites using the beta versions released as long ago as August 2008, but many were reluctant or simply failed to heed the warning. Users have been forced to manually install a list of sites that work with the Standards Mode, in order to prompt the browser into recognising which mode it should be working in, which seems a very heavy handed way of making it work, though a compatibility mode is also included.
The BIG thing: iPhone applications
Apple have scored a major triumph with their near-ubiquitous iPhone hardware. With over 30million units of the iPhone and iPod Touch sitting firmly in grubby little paws, developers are falling over themselves to code the latest, greatest, must-have application. Hundreds of new applications appear daily and the Apple App store has given homebrew developers the chance to make themselves some serious money. The touch screen and accelerometer have opened up a very interesting avenue for developers, giving them the chance to create new ways for users to interact with applications, affording Apple a bite of the pie previously only enjoyed by Nintendo and their world-beating Wii. Apple's decision to open the application market up to all developers was a clever step forward into the user generated content world.