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IE 8 runs ten times faster with Google Chrome plug-in
Chrome Frame boosts Microsoft browser performance
By Gregg Keizer | Computerworld US
Published: 14:23 GMT, 24 September 09
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.
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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!