Microsoft’s Internet Explorer has been dogged with problems ever since it came into existence.  The only reason most people use it, is because it ships with all versions of Windows.  IE5.5 and 6 were just through and through bad; version 7 improved things slightly with better security features and tabbed browsing (which was already available in Opera and Firefox).  The next version of IE is almost here.

Internet Explorer 8 has entered private beta testing with a public beta due “shortly.”  Tech Watch says the public beta could arrive by summer, possibly earlier.

Microsoft will attempt to make IE8 more standards complaint and is working with the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) to accomplish that.  This is only because there have been so many complaints about IE7.  Things that worked with versions 5 and 6 wound up broken with version 7.

Not to mention all the security holes that follow IE no matter which version it is.  It’s believed that IE8 will be shown off at the MIX show; taking place March 5-7 in Las Vegas.

The W3C is attempting to make sure that “cross-platform and cross-browser interoperability becomes the norm.”  Firefox and Opera are already W3C compliant.  The reason that some webpages look “off” in them is because the Internet, is not fully standards compliant.  Part of the reason goes back to the older versions of IE which were farthest from standards compliant as possible.  The two methods don’t play well together.  Maybe there is hope for IE8 after all.

When the beta of IE8 comes out, I suggest trying it; but only if it’s not your primary browser.

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Entry was posted on Sunday, March 2nd, 2008 at 3:02 pm under Microsoft, Software.

Read more entries by Jonathan Schlaffer.
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