Windows 8: Is Web Browsing Any Different?

All of the top four Web browsers have received major updates since our last Web Browser Grand Prix. Today we're testing Chrome 23, Firefox 16, Internet Explorer 10, and Opera 12.10. And we're also passing the torch from Windows 7 to Windows 8.

The Infamous Windows 8 Start Screen

But before we get to the benchmark results, let's quickly brush over the Web browser news and events that transpired since our last installment.

Recent News And Events:

09/02/12: Google Chrome turns four years old.

09/06/12: Only 30% of Firefox users have hardware suitable enough for hardware acceleration.

09/13/12: Mozilla to launch new IonMonkey JavaScript engine in Firefox 18 on New Year's Day.

09/14/12: Google discontinues support for IE8 in Google Apps.

09/15/12: Google intends to add Do Not Track to Chrome by year's end.

09/20/12: Microsoft tells Safari users to switch to Bing after Google is found violating privacy settings.

10/09/12: Mozilla releases Firefox 16

10/11/12: Mozilla pulls Firefox 16 due to security concerns, temporarily urges users to downgrade.

10/26/12: Microsoft releases Windows 8, including Internet Explorer 10.

10/27/12: Yahoo intends to ignore Do Not Track requests from IE10, claims it shouldn't be the default.

10/30/12: Mozilla Sends Cake to Microsoft IE Team for IE10 Congrats

10/31/12: Mozilla says missing Browser Ballot screen cost them 6 to 9 million Firefox downloads.

11/06/12: Microsoft calls IE10 the fastest Web browser, cites New Relic, Strangeloop Networks, and Tom's Hardware's RoboHornet Pro results.

11/10/12: Mozilla claims Firefox 18 will decrease start times by up to 25%.

11/12/12: Google claims Chrome is 26% faster than last year, according to its own Octane benchmark.

As usual, it has been an eventful couple of months in the world of Web browsers, and Windows 8 shakes things up even more.

Over the past two weeks, we’ve published several stories covering Microsoft's latest version of Windows:

Windows 8 Versus Windows 7: Game Performance, Benchmarked

The Definitive Windows 8 Review And User Guide

Windows 8: Does AMD's Bulldozer Architecture Benefit?

Dell Shows Off Its Entire Windows 8-Based Fall Line-Up

Windows 8: Clarifying Codec, Compiling, And Compatibility

Microsoft Surface Review, Part 1: Performance And Display Quality

Windows 8: Double-Checking Performance On Core i7-3770K

Microsoft Surface Review, Part 2: Battery Life, Multi-Monitor, And More

Although Windows 8 didn't exactly do anything for the performance of productivity-oriented applications or gaming, and it didn't save AMD's FX. But we haven't yet seen how Microsoft's new operating system affects Web browsing.