Microsoft Internet Explorer 8 Beta 1 Available for Readiness Testing

The first beta version of Internet Explorer 8 is now available.   The look and feel of the browser will remain familiar to those accustomed to IE7.  The Links bar is now the Favorites bar, where, when enabled, the history and bookmark buttons will be located.  The address bar is also slightly different, hiliting the last two parts of domain names.

The biggest improvement to the browser is no doubt improved compliance.  CSS 2 complaince appears significantly improved s. IE 7. Developers can benefit from CSS 2.1 test cases provided by Microsoft, here.  Not everything is perfect, however, with xhtml+xml mime type issues and lack of SVG support.

If you’re a developer this release is great news, if you’re an end user hold out for a later release more suited for a general audience.