IE 9 details getting loosed at PDC. Actual browser, not so much.

We’ll just start off this post asking one question: How do you like Internet Explorer? Hell, I’m feeling generous, all current versions are up for debate — 6, 7, and 8.

With that aside, today at the Professional Developers Conference, Chief Architect Ray Ozzie revealed a few concessions that the next gen Microsoft browser is in fact in the works. He didn’t however highlight any feature in particular. For that we’ll have to wait until tomorrow’s keynote. Also, before you get all hot and bothered searching for a download, we must stress that test code of any kind is not being released today or tomorrow. So stop looking. It’s strictly an informational event. Bummer.

While today’s keynote was a bust, tomorrow is looking to be more fruitful with Ozzie going a little deeper into “focus areas” for IE 9. After IE 8, many started speculating that Microsoft was going to make the move to a web-kit based rendering engine. I for one would greatly appreciate such a move as their current platform as a whole is terrible. And I know I’m not alone. When a new browser can’t even muster a 25% on a web standards compliance test, it is dead, outdated, and crap in my book. Will IE 9 finally see Microsoft accepting the cold hard reality that they need to abandon their current ventures?

Unfortunate for many, Microsoft denounced rumors that they were moving to or even looking at a future move to a web-kit engine. Sad for us, all around bad for them. Still, I’m eager to know more about their next browser and what they will do to surpass the likes of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and several other smaller yet highly capable browsers.

What do you think is coming to IE 9? Share it below..

Cnet