IE 8 runs ten times faster with Google Chrome plug-in

Chrome Frame boosts Microsoft browser performance

Microsoft's Internet Explorer zips through JavaScript nearly ten times faster than usual when Google's new Chrome Frame plug-in is partnered with the browser, benchmark tests show.

According to tests run by Computerworld , Internet Explorer 8 (IE8) was 9.6 times faster than IE8 on its own. Computerworld ran the SunSpider JavaScript benchmark suite three times each for IE8 with Chrome Frame, and IE8 without the plug-in, then averaged the scores.

Released Tuesday, Chrome Frame lets IE utilise the Chrome browser's WebKit rendering engine, as well as its high-performance V8 JavaScript engine. Google pitched the plug-in as a way to instantly improve the performance of the notoriously slow IE, and as a way for Web developers to support standards IE cannot handle, such as HTML 5.

Microsoft blasts Google over Chrome Frame plug-in | Google dismisses Microsoft claims over Chrome Frame security | Google breaks down pages in search results | Google urges Microsoft to adopt web graphics standard

The extra speed and HTML 5 support are necessary, said Google, if IE users are to run advanced Web applications, such as Google Wave, a collaboration and communications tool that debuted last May.

Notably, IE8's SunSpider scores with Chrome Frame running equaled Google's Chrome browser, a solid indication that the plug-in effectively turns any version of IE into the speed equivalent of Chrome itself.

Earlier this week, Computerworld matched Chrome 3.0, the current production version of Google's browser, against four rivals -- IE8, Mozilla's Firefox 3.5, Opera Software's Opera 10 and Apple's Safari 4.0 -- and pegged Chrome as the fastest of the five Windows browsers by comfortable, sometimes extreme, margins.

Chrome Frame must be installed by the browser user, but it can be triggered automatically by Web site and application developers using a single HTML tag on their sites or in their applications' code. Until those sites and applications are modified to call on Chrome Frame, users can manually force IE to use the plug-in by prefacing the URL of a site with the characters "cf:" (sans the quotation marks).

That was how Computerworld obtained the impressive SunSpider results for IE8.

The Chrome Frame plug-in works with IE6, IE7 or IE8 on Windows XP or Windows Vista. It's available for downloading from Google's site.


What are your views on this subject? Use the form below to post a comment on this article up to 500 characters.


Characters remaining: 500

Add your commentComments

QwertyNinja | Published: 20:08 GMT, 30 September 2009

Wow, just ran some java benchmarks on my pc with ie8 and chrome, before the chrome frame, IE8 finished a little over 10000 ms, after, 850ms, Chrome finished at 950 ms. Thats a huge difference.

Rex Alfie Lee | Published: 08:30 GMT, 27 September 2009

Interesting that M$ has immediately countered the inclusion of Google's enhancement as a vulnerability. I would have thought it would more likely be more secure on the basis that Google wrote the plug-in & not M$.

Waymon | Published: 04:38 GMT, 26 September 2009

I started using chrome last year and never looked back..

David | Published: 23:50 GMT, 25 September 2009

Embarassing for MS? No doubt. This is the engineering equivalent of running a ring around your opponent. "I'll take the browser you've been working on for 20 years that still doesn't work and fix it using your plugin framework. In the process I'll make it an order or magnitude faster". Why not just date their mom while you are at it ;-)

monkey | Published: 18:49 GMT, 25 September 2009

It's certainly not useless, most of my clients are stuck in the stone age and still use IE. This is an awesome addition.

DI4BL0S | Published: 16:31 GMT, 25 September 2009

@GOD Google sidekicked this problem by installing the browser in the user directory of windows...

Cristian | Published: 15:24 GMT, 25 September 2009

It's not useless. Some people are stuck with IE6/IE7 at workplace where they have no administrative rights to install new software due to company policy. With the Chrome frame they can actually use a better browser.

Chess | Published: 15:19 GMT, 25 September 2009

How fast was it for IE7 / IE6 ?

God | Published: 14:50 GMT, 25 September 2009

The main advantage of the Chrome Frame is that it can be used in corporate/educational environments where all other browsers than IE 6/7 are locked out.

Geir | Published: 09:50 GMT, 25 September 2009

Nahh.. this is just a childish action. Encourage people to use Chrome instead. Opera rules!

Related Networking news

Cisco free iPhone app grabs security feeds

Cisco SIO To Go iPhone application for IT managers on the road

Queen's speech promises action on pirates

Government sticks to plans to disconnect illegal file sharers

Ombudsman faults EC's Intel antitrust ruling

European Commission accused of "maladministration"

Blue Coat unveils faster network security appliances

Web security gateways acheive 1Gbps performance


SANs tuned for virtualisation

Whether you're using virtualisation to make large applications more manageable or to consolidate many small applications, a SAN packed with features that ease the management of storage for virtual machines is a good thing.


Email this article to a friend or colleague:


PLEASE NOTE: Your name is used only to let the recipient know who sent the story, and in case of transmission error. Both your name and the recipient's name and address will not be used for any other purpose.

Techworld White Papers

Database security: Preventing enterprise data leaks at the source

IDC discusses the growing internal threats to business information, the impact of government regulations on the protection of data, and how enterprises must adopt database security best practices...

Download Whitepaper

Service-oriented security

SOA has become an integral part of enterprise software by providing a framework to efficiently develop software as services that is easily sharable, reusable, and integrated. No where is the need more apparent than in the Identity Management space. Welcome to the age of Service-Oriented Security (SOS).

Download Whitepaper

Data protection prospective vendor checklist

Organisations need a way to map business needs against all these challenges in procuring a technical solution. To help, SANS has developed the following Prospective Vendor Checklist.

Download Whitepaper

Unlock the power of the mainframe

This whitepaper presents the notion of CICS as an integration hub based on a component-based, service-oriented architecture supporting Web services. Highlights will review the challenges and contrasted support for Web services natively in CICS.

Download Whitepaper

Techworld UK - Technology - Business

COLT White Paper

Are all VoIP services the same?

Questions to ask your service provider to ensure you get the VoIP service you need
With careful choice of partner, your business can have all the advantages of VoIP access - reduced costs, flexibility and simplicity - without the drawbacks.
This white paper is your guide to ensure you get right the VoIP service and details the pitfalls which businesses would do well to avoid.

Download white paper
BMC

Ride the express lane in the journey to speed ITIL adoption

Explore the challenges in making the journey to ITIL and the criteria for selecting consulting services
By following ITIL practices, your IT organisation will become more closely integrated with the business. We recommend making the journey to ITIL in a sequence of six incremental steps, the phases of which are driven through execution of a strategic transformational roadmap.

Download white paper

Webcast: IT Financial Management: Cost Optimisation for Efficiency and Agility.
On Demand Webcast
Join this webcast to learn about the techniques and technologies that can help you prove the value of IT to the business by understanding the true cost of today's IT services and those that will be necessary to deliver future success.

Register Today

Site Map

IDG Network

* *