Google Chrome has been sitting pretty on top of its throne of browser speed and compatibility tests since its release in September 2008, and no one has been able to touch it. Its elegant style and simplistic interface have given it an amazing advantage in the ongoing browser war. Internet Explorer, on the other hand, has become a “thorn in the side” of web developers. From the long and dreadful life of Internet Explorer 6 to the let down of Internet Explorer 8, it has been known to cause headaches, fevers, stomach cramps and fatigue. Its lack of care for compatibility and compliance has made this rebellious old browser feared by many. This may be about to change.

The preliminary test results are in for Internet Explorer 9 and they are impressive. Microsoft has just released their third platform demo and although the scores aren’t as high as they could be, they are definitely better than anything we have seen from Internet Explorer before. It has already passed the CSS3 selectors test with complete compliance and their HTML5 compatibility is almost on par very the rest of the browser greats. Microsoft may have finally gotten back into the ring with Internet Explorer 9. Now if they would just send out a mandatory update for Windows the web developer community could start to relax again. That combined with keeping their product up to date with the latest standards might make Internet Explorer a contender again.

While it still has a ways to go to match the speed and elegance of Chrome, Internet Explorer 9 is shaping up to be a new competitor in today’s brutal browser war.