Microsoft Releases Internet Explorer 8 RC

Microsoft Releases Internet Explorer 8 RC

Author JoeDigital

Microsoft has released the latest update for IE 8, the latest version of Microsoft’s well known web browser. This version is Internet Explorer 8 RC or Release Candidate 1, and is reputedly getting close to a final release for the new browser.

Rumors have it that this version was delayed to provide more security, but our examination seems to point to Google Chrome as being a possible for the delay, as IE8 has incorporated many of the most popular Chrome features.

According to Microsoft, one of the primary delays has been greater scrutiny, especially in the UK, for compliance with antitrust regulations. We probably all remember the Netscape vs Microsoft debacle, and a similar battle is beginning to gain steam in Europe.

IE8 is intended to be a primary competitor for Mozilla Firefox, which has steadily gained marketshare in the past few years, and is today used by almost as many people as use the Internet Explorer Browser. But there is other competition in the field as well, with Google’s Chrome, Apple Safari, and even other Mozilla offerings, including SeaMonkey.

According to initial reviews, IE8 is more compliant with HTML 4.01, CSS 2.1, and other web standards. In itself this is a major improvement for Microsoft, which has long striven to influence the direction of development by promoting similar but different variations of web standards. Perhaps the fact is starting to sink that Microsoft doesn’t rule the software industry alone anymore, and that’s something that will be good for the industry as a whole.

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