Windows Internet Explorer 8
for Windows XP (RC1)

Windows Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2 (also called Internet Explorer 8 or simply IE8) is the next browser from Microsoft. This version of Windows Internet Explorer 8 will only run on Windows XP with Service Pack 2 or 3 installed. There is a separate version for Windows Vista.

According to Microsoft, Internet Explorer 8 features:


* Activities: these are contextual services that provide quick access to external services from any webpage. These are "Look up" information related to data in the current webpage and "Send" content from the current webpage to another application.
* WebSlices: this option can expose portions of a page as a WebSlice that users can subscribe to and bring that content with them on their links bar wherever they are on the web. Users receive update notifications when the content changes.
* Internet Explorer 8 Beta 1 will ship in standards mode by default. However, three different rendering modes that may be set using the X-UA-Compatible header:
o Quirks mode which supports Internet Explorer 5 and legacy browsers
o Strict mode which supports Internet Explorer 7 and is accessed through the emulate Internet Explorer 7 button
o Internet Explorer 8 standards mode
* Cascading style sheets 2.1 compliance
* Cross-browser inconsistencies have been fixed
* Enhanced protection from deceptive websites and phishing
* Domain Highlighting - a technology that highlights the top level domain in the address bar, allowing users to quickly confirm that the website they are visiting is the site they intended to visit. The domain name is in bold and black font, standing out from other characters in the URL which are gray.

Important: this is Release Candidate 1, also called RC1. It is not the final version of Internet Explorer 8. It should only be installed by users who understand the risks of installing Beta/Pre-release software. The file will download directly from Microsoft's servers.