Microsoft unveils IE8 Release Candidate

 

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By Stuart Turton

Posted on 27 Jan 2009 at 08:59

Microsoft has made the first release candidate of Internet Explorer 8 available for download.

Though little has changed from the most recent beta, Microsoft has been making a great deal of noise about Internet Explorer 8's security enhancements which it claims "makes IE8 hands down the most secure browser on the market".

The big-ticket item in this security claim is the new clickjacking feature which is intended to prevent users from clicking on fake links within legitimate web pages and inadvertently sending sensitive information to hackers.

Microsoft is also making much of its InPrivate browsing mode, which allows a user to surf the web without leaving any trace of their activity on the machine they were using.

Another feature finding favour on the Microsoft blog are the accelerometers. Simply highlight a word on a webpage and a right click of the mouse brings up a list of options allowing you to search for the word, or look it up on Wikipedia.

Tabs have received a minor overhaul, with related tabs now colour-coded and grouped, and the browser's phishing filter, called SmartScreen, has been improved.

The browser currently only supports Windows XP and Vista, with a version for Windows 7 still in beta.

Download it here.