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Windows 8 is expected to hit store shelves in 2012, bundled with the tenth version of the Internet Explorer browser. Since its debut in April, Microsoft has promised to roll out preview versions of IE every three months. While principally a tool for developers who are preparing for the switch, these previews give the general public a glimpse at what to expect. Platform Preview 2 was just released, showing off what the browser can do with HTML5.

Why is Internet Explorer suddenly a big deal?

Windows 8 will unite Windows and Windows Mobile into a single platform. While users will be able to choose between either a touch-based or more traditional desktop interface, the underlying software on Windows devices ranging from smartphones to desktops will be the same.

Both these interfaces will put IE10 front and center, with a big push for developers to make Windows 8 programs based on HTML5 and Javascript that will run inside the browser. The first program shown using IE10 as software base is an interface for the company’s Skydrive cloud computing service. Internet Explorer isn’t so much a program that will run on Windows 8 than it is a part of the operating system, communicating directly with hardware. As the new Windows will on x86 and ARM processors, this gives developers a single platform-agnostic solution for writing software that will run on the entire range of consumer computing devices.

While Microsoft says there will be no official word on .Net and Silverlight until a build conference in September, support for the two platforms should continue on Windows 8.

The showpiece of Platform Preview 2 is HTML5 support. Current HTML5 implementation varies from browser to browser, making cross-compatibility nearly impossible. Even when a feature is supported by a browser, there’s no guarantee that it will be displayed correctly. To combat this, Microsoft has been working closely with the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) to make IE10 use HTML5 as close to the original specification as possible, making the browser’s behavior predictable.

This alpha also includes the first implementation of some new features, both for HTML5 implementation and web page rendering. The new sandbox and iframe isolation features let developers put a wall around their websites, preventing malware from attacking users’ systems. HTML5 and Javascript can also be moved to new processes called “web workers” for improved performance and responsiveness. This page rendering can be handled directly by the GPU giving HTML5 a major advantage over Flash.

Other features have direct applications for software development. Media query listeners will let the page change settings depending on the state of the browser: For example, expanding a video window will automatically increase the video quality settings. Position floats are objects that can be moved around the page, while the rest of the content automatically adjusts. Drag and drop is also supported within HTML5 documents, and it’s also the first time standards-compatible forms have been implemented.

What about legacy users? IE10 will be available for Windows 7, although it will take a major performance hit due to the lack of built-in hardware support. Vista support will be dropped, limiting both web browsing and software options for the unloved OS.

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