IE9 Release Candidate Available.

With Internet Explorer 9’s new release candidate and imminent general release, Microsoft can finally claim to be playing the same game as the rest of the modern browser manufacturers. At least as far as semantic HTML5 elements and static CSS rendering, IE9 looks great. Several sites we’ve built recently including Bandwagon Sports and United Pixelworkers make use of the most cutting-edge HTML and CSS. It’s gratifying to know that users on the default Windows browser will be able to have an almost identical experience in Internet Explorer as they do in Safari, Chrome, and Firefox. That means support for rounded corners, transparency, drop- and text-shadows, multiple background images, gradients, and more.

The competition has officially moved from static rendering to JavaScript, new HTML APIs like Canvas, and CSS transitions and animations. These, among other advancements, make 2011 an exciting time to be developing web sites and applications.