Internet Explorer 10? Already?

Well, Microsoft has been accelerating its development with each iteration of the browser. IE6--which still clings tenaciously to more than its fair share of the browser market--was launched in August of 2001. It took more than five years for Microsoft to release IE7 in October of 2006. IE8 took only about two and half years, in a matter of only two years. With IE10, it looks like Microsoft is shooting for an annual release of the next major release of Internet Explorer.

And, while it may seem like a quick turnaround for Microsoft, an annual development cycle for a Web browser is an eon compared to the for Firefox. I won't guarantee my math, but based on the overlapping 18-week development cycle, Firefox could be up to Firefox 10 by the time Internet Explorer 10 is officially launched. If Microsoft spends another year working up to IE11, Firefox could be up to Firefox 16 by then. If we measured browser success on version numbers, Firefox could kick Microsoft's ass.

So, what can we expect with IE10? Microsoft is building on the hardware accelerated graphics, HTML5 support, and integration with the OS to extend the desktop to the Web that it has already established with IE9. IE10 adds support for emerging standards like CSS3 Multi-column Layout, CSS3 Grid Layout and CSS3 Flexible Box Layout, CSS3 Gradients, and ES5 Strict Mode in action.

It is also notable that with IE10 Microsoft is going from a line in the sand to a line carved in stone when it comes to OS compatibility. The move to make IE9 compatible only with Windows Vista and Windows 7 has ruffled a lot of feathers since Windows XP still has a majority of the OS market share globally. With IE10, . The new browser will require Windows 7 at a minimum.