Things can only get Beta for Microsoft IE 8

Microsoft is gearing its latest IE 8 release for Web developers. However, a second beta version, scheduled to arrive mid-year, is aimed at a wider audience, Microsoft's top browser executive has revealed.

"It's public," general manager Dean Hachamovitch told ZDNet.com.au's sister site CNET News.com of Beta 1, released on Wednesday. "It's out on Microsoft.com somewhere. Anyone can download it...but this beta version really is for developers."

Hachamovitch declined to say whether the final version of the browser will be released at the same time as Windows 7, the next version of Microsoft's operating system. He did note that Microsoft released IE 7 for XP ahead of Windows Vista, so it is technically possible to do so.

As was the case with the IE 7 betas, those installing the test version of IE 8 will have to replace their current browser.

The IE 8 beta will run on both 64-bit and 32-bit versions of Windows Vista and Windows Vista SP1 as well as Windows XP Service Pack 2 and Windows Server 2003 and 2008.

In designing the browser, Hachamovitch said Microsoft is trying to find ways to both be more compatible and add features. On that latter front, he pointed to a consumer feature known as activities, which allows users to select a block of text and have it looked up on a reference site such as Dictionary.com or mapped with Microsoft or Google's services.

"Right now, the Web for a lot of people is 'some assembly required,'" he said. "This integrates the services you use with the sites you visit."

Like this article? Click below to send it to your mobile for free!

Talkback 0 comments


Sponsored content

Power Centre - Content from our premier sponsors

Blogs

  • Renai LeMay Australian Govt funds IT start-ups
    This week Australia's Federal Government announced it had allocated $3.6 million in funding to 57 local research projects so that they could be commercialised, with many of them being web or IT-related start-ups.
  • Array Google should come clean on datacentres
    It's nice that Google says it has put an effort into making its datacentres more energy efficient, but the search giant's pledges won't mean much until it discloses just how many of the beasties it's actually running.
  • Array US shows what OPEL could have been
    Sprint's WiMAX roll-out in Baltimore will prove the Australian government's decision to worm its way out of the Opel WiMAX contract was a short-sighted, and ultimately damaging, political stunt that has benefited nobody.
  • More blogs »

Tags

Back to top

Featured