Internet Explorer 8 Final Release Delayed Until 2009

Microsoft said IE8 final will not be completed until 2009. The next release, called a "release candidate" or RC, will come out in the first part of 2009. This means we could probably look forward to seeing IE 8 next summer sometime if one were to guess.

"Our next public release of IE (typically called a "release candidate") indicates the end of the beta period," general manager Dean Hachamovitch said. "We want the technical community of people and organizations interested in Web browsers to take this update as a strong signal that IE8 is effectively complete and done."

"We will be very selective about what changes we make between the next update and final release," he wrote. "We will act on the most critical issues. We will be super clear about product changes we make between the update and the final release."

Microsoft is calling on all technical users to download the current Beta 2 release and to report any issues they find to better the final product.