Internet Explorer 9 - First Impressions

I've just downloaded and installed the public beta of the next version of Internet Explorer, IE9 and wanted to share my first impressions.

Once installed, the first noticeable difference is how minimal the interface has become. The address bar and tabs section seem to take up roughly 66% less screen space, since the address bar, search box and tabs are now all located on the same row. As I usually have a lot of pages open, I didn't think I'd like the repositioning of the tabs, but it really hasn't caused me any problems.

Screen_shot_2010-09-16_at_14
The next thing I noticed is the speed. It really flies. Microsoft have added GPU acceleration to IE9, so a lot of image rendering is now performed by your graphics card rather than your CPU.

Another great new feature, is the ability to add web shortcuts to your taskbar. You just drag the favicon from the address bar to your taskbar to create a shortcut. This is great if you want quick access to applications such as your email and it really feels like you're launching an app rather than a browser.

Screen_shot_2010-09-16_at_16

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Tagged Internet Explorer

Dynamics CRM spell checking

Spelling

Sending important emails containing spelling errors is unprofessional. Unfortunately, Dynamics CRM does not come with spell check functionality.

The Google toolbar includes a built in spell checker which, when combined with tabbed browsing, makes spell checking CRM emails easy.You'll need to follow my guide to enable tabbed browsing and also install the Google toolbar. Once it's installed, just click on the spell check button when writing an email and any spelling mistakes will be highlighted and suggestions given.

There are a variety of accelerators that can add this functionality but I have yet to find one for free.

Thanks to Craig for the suggestion!

Tagged Google toolbar Internet Explorer Spell Check

IE8 crashing when using picklists in Advanced Finds

I've been having an issue where IE8 would crash when trying to use picklists in advanced finds (see below example).

It may not be a common issue, but I posted it on the MS partner forums and got the below response which has fixed it for me, so hopefully it will help someone else out too!

Edit AdvFind.aspx and add the following code. AdvFind.aspx can be found in the CRM web directory\AdvancedFind

NOTE: The code needs to be added right below function window.onload(){

<% if (Request.Params["AutoRun"] != "False")
{
%>
if (location.href.indexOf("?") > 0)
 location.href = location.href + "&AutoRun=False";
else
 location.href = location.href + "?AutoRun=False";
<%
}
%>

Tagged Advanced Find Crashing Internet Explorer javascript

CRM pop-ups in new tabs

2crms
With Internet Explorer, you have the option to open all pop ups in a new tab rather than a new window. I find this works great for CRM, particularly when working inside different organisations. I can keep my development organisation and all pop ups in one IE instance and my live instance in another. You can find the option to do this under IE\Tools\Internet Options and click the Settings button under the Tabs section on the General tab.
Tabbed

Tagged Internet Explorer Tabs