Internet Explorer 8 Pre-Release Information

This post was written by admin on January 12, 2009
Posted Under: Free PC Security,Technology,internet explorer

Microsoft will distribute Windows Internet Explorer 8 (IE8) as a 'high-priority' update through Automatic Updates for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 and as 'important' in Windows Vista and Server 2008 within the next three months, April 1st being the provisional date predicted.

Given the problems that users have had in Beta testing IE8 it is not a good idea for users to install it when released and Internet Explorer 7 still has gaping flaws that allow zero-day vulnerabilities to compromise users computers.

Internet Explorer is still widely used by many home users as well as on a corporate scale.

IE8 will NOT be installed automatically, but will arrive as an 'optional' installation within the Automatic Updates package in which users with Admin Rights will have three options:
1 - Install
2 - Don't install
3 - Remind me later

Option 2 would be the recommended choice until such times as IE8 is a stable browser and users can upgrade at a later date by visiting Windows Update.

It is already acknowledged that implementing IE8 may stop millions of websites from being viewed, which will have a major impact on users and organisations.

For users who have been running the 'beta version' or the 'release candidate version' IE8 WILL be automatically installed.

A far better option would be to switch to a safer browser:
Firefox
Opera
Safari
Google Chrome

Mozilla and Netscape are no longer supported applications.

Readers of this blog use the following browsers with percentage rates given as of January 2009:
Internet Explorer - 57.5%
Firefox - 37.2%
Opera - 0.8%
Safari - 0.2%
Curl - 0.2 %
Mozilla - 0.2%
Unknown - 3.9%