Microsoft has made public a version of Internet Explorer that shows what features are being developed for future versions.

The Internet Explorer Developer Channel differs from beta programs of the past where you could sign up for the beta of a specific version ahead of release, and follow the product through to release. Instead, this is an ongoing site where new features that are under development will be showcased for testing, without being assigned to a particular version of the browser. Similar facilities exist for Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox, but Microsoft has until now limited itself to specific beta programs.

Writing about the new channel on the IE blog, program manager Jason Weber says:

“IE Developer Channel can run alongside and independently of IE11, and has all of the browser features that you love in IE11, as well as the latest platform features we’re working on.”

The initial Developer Version of Internet Explorer includes enhanced F12 Developer Tools. The improvements include a better debugger with event breakpoints and the ability to specify a source map:

Another area of improvements is better analysis options in the memory and UI responsiveness profilers:

The navigation options have also been improved with more keyboard shortcuts, and new header notifications. The full list of improvements is available on MSDN.

The build also has WebGL hardware instancing and support for WebDriver, a standard that lets you write tests to automate web browser actions to test websites and applications. Webdriver lets you create scripts to carry out actions such as clicking on links, filling in forms, and navigating around pages, so you can set up automated testing.

Support for the Gamepad API has also been included. This lets you use JavaScript to add gamepad support to your Web apps and games. You can use this to attach a gamepad controller to your machine, then use that to interact with browser-based games. Microsoft has added gamepad support to some of its Web-based content such as Escape from XP, Hover.IE, and Atari Arcade.

While no schedule for releases has been announced, Weber said on the blog that “as we work on new features and standards, we will continue to share early code through the IE Developer Channel.”

in this welcome message Charles Morris, Program Manager for the Internet Explorer Team briefly outlines what's in the initial release of the channel says that "your feedback is super-important to us":

The Developer Channel is available in versions for Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 SP1.

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