Information regarding Internet Explorer 12 supporting extensions begin to leak

New reports are coming out which shed more light on the next version if Internet Explorer. This new version of IE12 is rumored to be codename Spartan and has been spotted in recent leaked builds of Windows 9. Neowin has rumored that the UI of IE12 will be improved and re worked, but the new leaks deal with something more technical, extensions.

With IE11 Microsoft has been touting a fast and fluid ‘plug-in free’ experience. Websites should be coded with cross-platform standards such as HTML5, CSS3, and WebGL. If a websites uses these technologies then IE11 will run the site fast and render it properly (is the theory). This is a different from requiring users to download third party plug-ins, such as flash, Quicktime, or Silverlight, in order to view video or interactive content. 

However a new report from Mary-Jo Foley says that IE12 may be bringing back the ability to run extensions. Since little is know about this project, information comes from job postings and research projects. From job postings, Microsoft seems to be working on a project Spartan within the context of users have a rich interaction with websites above what standard (plug-in free) websites can offer. There is also talk of taking the experience for people using their mobile devices to accomplish tasks such as calling a taxi or getting reservations. Some how Microsoft is planning on improving these experiences via the browser. 

In addition to job postings, Microsoft Research has had some very interesting projects dealing with running legacy code in the browser via micro-virtualizations. This enables the browser to run existing legacy code in an isolated application-like’ environment. This could mean IE12 will be able to run extensions to enable more powerful web experiences. This could also be an enterprise tool used to help companies run existing code in new browsers without having to worry about compatibility. Microsoft creating the ability to run x86 code via the browser could mean a feature rich browser for the consumer and a completely compatible browser for the enterprise, win win.

What do you think will be in IE12? What do you want out of a new web browser? Let us know in the comments below!