Internet Explorer 8 Beta Due in Mid-2008

The announcement also had implications for the recently filed Opera antitrust lawsuit against the software maker, which said Microsoft needed to adhere to common Web standards. "Well, this announcement makes the Operas suit look pretty weak. Clearly, Microsoft is committed to supporting many modern Web standards," he said.

There has also been much criticism about the deafening silence coming from the team with regard to the roadmap for Internet Explorer. Jurgen Altziebler, the interactive experience director for CoreBrand told eWEEK that IT managers need this information.

"The IE 7 team has been very quiet since the latest release. IT needs to know the roadmap for Internet Explorer, especially now where everything is about building smart, Web-based enterprise applications," he said.

In a reference to the criticism about the lack of public information, Hachamovitch said the team wanted to talk about facts rather than aspirations.

Read here about why security remains a challenge for browser developers.

"Were posting this information now because we have real working code checked in and were confident about delivering it in the final product. Were listening to the feedback about IE, and at the same time, we are committed to responsible disclosure and setting expectations properly," Hachamovitch said.

"Now that weve run the test on multiple machines and seen it work, were excited to be able to share definitive information," he said.

NPDs Swenson also points to how far Microsoft has come on the Web development front, saying that IE 7 looks like a modern browser with modern features.

To read about Microsofts decision to make IE 7 available to all Windows XP users, click here.

"Expression Web creates beautiful, standard-compliant code. With Expression Blend, Visual Studio, and XAML, you can create sexy, rich Internet applications. Silverlight has a streamlined and efficient download experience, a small footprint, and an amazing video codec that many Web developers are raving about," he said. "Granted, Microsoft still has a long way to go, but it really is amazing how far theyve come in so short a time."

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