IE8 Nears Release with RC1

Internet Explorer 8 Release Candidate 1 (IE8 RC1), released in late Jan. 2009, shows some improvements over earlier betas, particularly in the areas of user privacy and standards support. The release of an RC signals that Microsoft is almost finished modifying IE8, which offers better support for Web standards, improved security and user privacy, and an array of new features for administrators, developers, and end users. Microsoft hopes the update will stop IE’s market share erosion, but an accelerating antitrust investigation by the European Union (EU) could stymie these plans.

What’s Changed in RC1?

The first beta of IE8, released in Mar. 2008, focused on features of primary interest to Web site developers, such as improved support for widely used Web standards and a built-in Web page debugging tool. It also introduced some new features for end users, such as Activities (later renamed Accelerators), which let users hover over data, such as an address, and superimpose relevant information from another Web site, such as a mapping site.