We're excited to release IE8 Beta 2 today for public download. You can find it at http://www.microsoft.com/ie8. Please try it out!

You'll find versions for 32- and 64-bit editions of Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, and Windows Server 2008. In addition to English, IE8 Beta 2 is available in Japanese, Chinese (Simplified), and German. Additional languages will be available soon.

While Beta 1 was for developers, we think that anyone who browses or works on the web will enjoy IE8 Beta 2.

Download: Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2
View: Full Blog Post
News source: IEBlog

Hadn't noticed this one, so thanks for heads up Chug.

Yeah, I thought it might be appropriate news for ieXbeta.

I've been playing with IE8 for a little while now. It passes Acid2, but fails horribly on Acid3. Some of the new features are kind of nice, but nothing really amazing. I think their compatibility view makes things more confusing then they should be. The new Porn Mode is kind of nice, how it lets you browse without saving any cache or history.

But still, I'll be sticking with FireFox 3 as my default browser. A big showstopper for me with IE8 is the fact that it still lacks spell check. I mean, by now you'd think they'd have spell check and grammar check also. So far I haven't really seen much reason to switch back to IE8 from FireFox, unless I'm doing some InPrivate browsing...

Porn Mode?!? ... They don't actually call it that, do they?

ieSpell has always worked fine for me.

Actually I found out like 2 days ago that browse without leaving traces on firefox with an extension called Stealther.

Yup! Coming soon to PCs everywhere!

(just kidding)

It's actual name is InPrivate. When you open a new tab, this is one of the links in it:


Hmm...

Don't know why I did it, but I installed this POS yesterday. Instant hangs on everything that has to do with internet explorer or windows explorer. No way to uninstall either as I have SP3 installed also. Should've searched around more first and I would've seen that is a known issue already.

Reformatted whole computer. Thank goodness for Seamonkey and Kmeleon!! Just may have to quit using IE altogether as I can't stand IE7 either! It's to d**n dumb to even remember usernames/passwords!!

One thing good about IE8 though. It goes well with that other POS software from MS called VistaMe2!!

Spamboat departed last month.

Nothing spam related to my post. I was definitely on topic. The topic is about IE8 Beta release and I posted my thoughts on it after having tried it. Granted, it's beta, but it's still garbage!!

No offense, but it's not what you make it out to be. I still prefer the almighty Opera before any browser, in both Vista and OSX, but that doesn't make IE bad. It's not bad, it's just that Opera and Safari are better.

Trollin', calling Vista "VistaMe2" or some other lame variant was funny like two, three years ago.

:old:

thansk for the heads up!

Well... better late than never, eh

No, it's still as funny, as it's still just as big a POS as it was the day it was released!!
Actually, even more funny, as at least Windows Me never crashed simply looking at your own files/folders for me.

Please, Cork, no flame or whatever intended (though off-topic certainly is), but please please please, state a few facts that you base your hate on. PLEASE.

I don't get it, Why would any intelligent person install something that they consider to be a POS, and on your main system that you had to reinstall. Are you related to Homer? Duh dude!!! At this point with the intelligence that you have portrayed, or lack off, You should shut your computer down and never turn it on again. lol

Its getting to the point in this world where some people should be tested and licensed to use a computer.

IE8 has been working well for me, I few compatibility issues with java and flash but for the most part it works for me.

That is definitely a problem with your codec's buudy!

Windows explorer as you know tries to create thumbnails of your vids using the directshow filters you have installed. If there is anything wrong with them (filters or vids), explorer WILL crash.

It's the price we pay for MS giving us this functionality.

Bummer eh?

One day maybe MS will include filters standard as part of the OS and then no more crashes (I think W7 is trying this), but until then...yeah it's a bastard!

Until then, there's the Vista Codec Pack.

Of course, once that problem is sorted, Cork will find something ELSE that he installed that crashes the OS and blame MS for it....