When browsers overstay their welcome they not only become a security concern, but they also make cross-browser compatibility a tall order for web developers. In recent times, silent updates have emerged as an effective means of tackling this problem. Recently, Microsoft too jumped on the silent update bandwagon. While the move seems to be yielding the desired result where IE8 is concerned—IE9 is gaining market share at the expense of IE8—it has had little or no effect on IE6 and IE7. An Australian online retailer is so frustrated with all this that it has decided to take things in its own hands.

The fine art of browser vendors touting their respective browsers while simultaneously deriding competing ones has been reduced to a very banal affair of late, with most vendors simply concentrating on browsing speeds and HTML5-related enhancements. Does even a single browser vendor not possess the will and imagination necessary to break this trend? Apparently, Microsoft has done just that by comparing IE9’s power consumption habits with that of other major browsers, including Safari 5, Opera 11, Chrome 10, and Firefox 4. Hit the jump for the results.