According to Microsoft, the Internet Explorer 8 Beta is set to
begin when Vista SP1 ships later this year. There is no information
on when the exact date would be. However, since mainstream support
for XP doesnt end until April 2009 Microsoft will support IE 8 to
Windows XP users.
But in the same way that IE 7 was released, there will be 2
versions: one that is built on the security settings of Vista, and
the other one on the settings of XP SP2 or SP3. More info will be
posted when available
Is Internet Explorer 8 in the works?
Who needs Internet Explorer 7 when you can just wait for Internet
Explorer 8? According to ActiveWin, Microsoft has already been
working diligently on Internet Explorer 7s successor, and there
are no plans for the team to stop for a service pack. The Internet
Explorer development team will supposedly have the next version
ready to go out the door within the next two years.
One Microsoft official at CES has told ActiveWin.com that work has
already begun for IE 8, the next version of Internet Explorer, and
we can expect to see a final product within 18-24 months. In
addition, there are reportedly no plans for an interim service
pack, but rather focus completely on the next version, which will
compete even more directly with Firefox.
ActiveWins report is completely plausible, but we werent able to
verify the rumor. Instead, a Microsoft spokesperson told Ars that
the company is not prepared to discuss future iterations of the
browser.
Microsoft is committed to Internet Explorer and is actively working
on the next version of the browser. We are excited about the
positive reception Internet Explorer 7 has received and are
currently looking at market feedback and customer needs as we work
on future versions. However we are not commenting on future plans
at this time.
How do you feel about Microsoft skipping out on service packs for
Internet Explorer 7 and jumping straight into Internet Explorer 8?
As long as the browser is kept as secure as possible, I cant see
why that would be a problem. If Microsoft is listening, Id like to
see Internet Explorer 8 be a little more developer-friendly. I use
Firefox because of all the wonderful Extensions, but I would
consider switching back to Internet Explorer if Microsoft had
something even close to comparable. I will say that Add-Ons are
definitely a step in the right direction, though.
Source: Arstechnica.com
