Windows Internet Explorer 8 Beta 1 for Windows Vista

[MIG-31]

Internet Explorer 8 takes the Web experience beyond the page and introduces a new way to seamlessly experience the power of the Web whether you are a Web developer writing to standards, or an end user discovering a new online service. This beta release is available to everyone, but is primarily for Web developers and designers to test the new tools, layout engine, and programming enhancements.
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Source: Microsoft

[Vikingod]

Downloads are available for all Windows operation systems toward the bottom of the page.

[|2A|N]

Any thoughts on this!? I downloaded it and it seems to run fairly smooth on Vista x64 & banners and flash loaded in a snap. I did happen to notice IE8 beta displays pages fully without having to scroll to the left or right which Firefox 3 is still doing atm noticeably on fubar when you compare them side to side. Also IE8 beta still doesnt have an integrated spell checking yet either not sure if that will come later or not so this is just a few things I have noticed right off the bat.

[Vehicon]

Id like to hear more feedback before i install.

[RogueDOc]

I'll give it a go. I like to try new things.

[Alistair]

Rendering wise its still got a ways to go to be consistent with other browsers when in standards compliance mode, but its definitely taken a step in the right direction. I wouldn't recommend using this for your daily browsing activities quite yet though after my personal run of tests through a few websites.

The biggest problem I've encountered actually involved how it handles VML (Microsoft's version of SVG) and 100% width. It doesn't respect other items on the page unlike previous versions quite yet. Hopefully this will be resolved in future beta versions or it'll become a serious issue for some people. You can easily see what I mean by visiting Google Maps using the beta.

[pepiman]

like all Microsoft products, I'm going to pass for about a year

Although i'd be rather curious in trying FF 3.0

[Alistair]

I can comment on Fx 3 too Its been working quite nicely since Beta #2 with Beta #4 expected in the next few days. I personally haven't been encountering any issues with it. To some alot of the added features may seen like bloat, to others they are handy and neat. The biggest change most people will notice is the new address bar's history box.

[pepiman]

Actually Firefox 3 Beta 4 is out already

[Alistair]

Yes it is, its also working beautifully and loading a good bit faster. The memory usage for me went down a good 20-30MB. Without extentions it hovers at about 80MB usage now instead of 100MB+ after a while of actively refreshing websites that I work on all day.