Since the debut of alternative web browsers such as Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome, Microsoft's Internet Explorer has suffered a significant drop in market share. This shift can be mostly explained by feature and usability differences between earlier versions of each browser, where Internet Explorer tended to lag behind the alternatives.

With Internet Explorer 8, Microsoft closes that feature gap. New standards such as tabbed browsing, the ability to create tab groups, and a private browsing mode are all included in the software, and care has been taken by Microsoft's development team to improve loading times along with overall performance.

For the developers of any browser, keeping users' computers and information secure is a chief concern. One of the most significant unique properties of Internet Explorer 8 is an automatic filter that guards against suspicious sites that may be illegitimate or seek to harvest users' data. This "SmartScreen" filter serves as an added barrier to mitigate some of the biggest risks most internet users are exposed to when surfing the web.

Other features of Internet Explorer 8 are designed to run in the forefront, making users' experience better in day to day browsing. Among them are the program's "Suggested Sites" tool, which uses information from the history of visited websites to recommend new sites that users haven't yet visited.

Usability is enhanced in Internet Explorer 8 with the "Accelerators" tool. Activated by right-clicking an area on a page or text that has been selected, users are given a menu that includes options for using a dictionary to look up the text, performing a search, or looking up a specific location.

In all, Microsoft has done an admirable job of catching up to popular alternative browsers with this version of Internet Explorer. While it still isn't the fastest browser available, enhanced user experience and security features make it a solid all-around option.