When Microsoft introduced Internet Explorer 9 for Vista's 32-bit implementation, they were trying desperately to compete with new browsers from Mozilla and Google. As it was the first version of the popular browser not bundled with Windows, it was a new challenge for Microsoft. They had to include enough features to win back some of the power users that had switched to Chrome and Firefox, and this meant implementing some innovative features and performance updates.

Internet Explorer 9 offers CSS 3 support, hardware-accelerated video rendering and Scalable Vector Graphics, all of which helped to make this the fastest and most powerful version of the browser. It supports HTML5, a growing standard used by many web audio and video applications. Javascript performance is much better in 9, and in general it offers a much cleaner, more user-friendly web browsing experience.

In terms of user interface, Internet Explorer 9 represents a serious departure from earlier versions of the browser. It's much smoother and much more sleek. Windows users who are already familiar with the advanced features of Chrome and Firefox will appreciate the simple tabbing features and the refined bookmark bar, which makes Internet Explorer 9 seem much less bulky than earlier iterations.

Compared to the other major web browsers, Internet Explorer 9 stood up reasonably well. Its clean, light interface was roughly equivalent to that of Google Chrome, while enhanced extension support made Internet Explorer 9 a valid option for power users. Overall, it's a great browser that actually makes Microsoft a competitor in the web browser market for the first time in several browser generations.

New versions of Internet Explorer such as Internet Explorer 10 offer better security and more features, so unless you have a specific reason to use Internet Explorer 9, you're better off looking for the latest version.