Microsoft releases IE9 Platform Preview 2

Microsoft has released Internet Explorer 9 Platform Preview 2, an updated version of the test build made available at the MIX developer conference in March.

The new version is still too early to be called a beta release, but Microsoft said that it is fulfilling the pledge it gave at MIX to deliver an updated preview release every eight weeks until a beta version is ready.

Updated features in IE9 Platform Preview 2 include better JavaScript performance, improved standards compliance, and hardware acceleration of HTML5, according to Microsoft's IE Blog.

Microsoft's IE9 Test Drive site has also been updated with a new set of developer samples to showcase what can be done with GPU-accelerated HTML5, while the developer tools include some new features to make finding and fixing markup issues easier.

As with the first Platform Preview, this version of IE9 has been designed to co-exist with IE8 so that testers can use it without having to ditch their working browser.

Microsoft also said that the new IE9 version is far from complete, and that another update is set to be delivered in eight weeks' time.

Earlier this week, Microsoft moved to allay rumours that IE9 would not support Adobe's Flash technology.

This support has always been provided by a plug-in from Adobe, Microsoft said, and IE9 will continue to allow plug-ins to be downloaded in the same fashion.