A completely new Internet Explorer 9, what should we expect?

Microsoft is on the threshold of announcing its new and unprecedented version of Internet Explorer 9 browser. The company itself provided no confirmation of the move but many experts and observers are anticipating that the new browser will be supporting open web standards after all.

For a long time Microsoft has been criticized for declining to fully support open web standards. Many critics believe that the shift towards open standards will yield high returns for the software giant.

Open web standards played a critical role in the popularity of third-party browsers on the market today, including Firefox, Chrome and Opera.

The changes in Internet Explorer 9 are expected to provide a win-win situation for both web developers and the average end-user.

"People love to hate Microsoft, and they are usually very techie types and early adopters that see flaws in engineering and strategy," says Sheri McLeish, an analyst covering information and knowledge management at Forrester Research. "Microsoft bundled IE with Windows, which added to its very long and dramatic history with the hubbub around Netscape, for example. But the browser market epitomizes the company's challenges as it looks to improve market share and faces a lot of dislike and distrust in terms of Microsoft's competitive nature."