IE9 Beta is here…but only for 22.3% of us

Microsoft launched it’s latest browser Internet Explorer 9 beta, today. Great! I thought. I’ll nip over to Microsoft, download and test it right away! Wrong.

It turns out this beta release is only available for users with Windows 7. What’s the point in that?! I know of no Web Developers who actually use such a dire Operating System, and surely that is who this beta release is aimed at?

How can Microsoft completely ignore a section of users which, according to W3c, still holds over 50% market share of operating systems; XP.

For all the hype surrounding IE9, I can’t help but think it’s all too much. At the end of the day it’s just going to be another browser we have to test in! Launching IE9 should mark the end of IE6 and 7 in my opinion, however, I suspect we’ll be left banging our heads on desks for a lot longer yet…