Internet Explorer 8 RC1 released

Microsoft has released a near-final version of Internet Explorer 8, the next version of its browser. Release Candidate 1 is the last stage in the development of the world's most commonly-used web browser. The new code was made available at Microsoft's download centre. Microsoft first released a beta version of the browser in August 2008. Read Web User's first look at the new features in Internet Explorer 8 As yet no date has been given for the release date of the final version but Microsoft's Dean Hachamovitch said that there will be few changes between the Release Candidate and the final version. Hachamovitch said that the changes are "mostly polish at this point". The free browser is available for users of Windows Vista, Windows Server and Windows XP Service Pack 2. Older versions of Windows aren't supported. Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2 - watch the video However, this version of IE8 will not run on current versions of Windows 7, so users who have downloaded the beta version of the new Windows operating system will not be able to run IE8 yet. The final version, due in a few months, will be the default browser in Windows 7. "With the final release of IE8, people's expectations of what a web browser does are going to go up a lot," Hachamovitch said. www.microsoft.com/ie8