With the final build of Internet Explorer 8 available for download, Microsoft is looking past the RTW (release to web) development milestone for IE8. And the fact of the matter is that while Microsoft has just wrapped up Internet Explorer 8, it is now gearing its efforts to wrapping up IE8 all over again. This because of the incongruence between Windows platforms.

“Anyone running Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows Server can get 32- and 64-bit versions now. Windows 7 users will receive an updated IE8 as part of the next Windows 7 milestone,” informed Dean Hachamovitch, IE general manager.

Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 come with their own breed of IE8, in the same manner as Windows Vista RTM featured a variant of IE7 different than those for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 at the start of 2007. IE8 in Windows 7 is yet to be finalized, as the Redmond company has synchronized the development process for the browser with that of the underlying operating system.

Microsoft explained that its decision not to offer IE8 RTW for Windows 7 was related to the enhancements that the next iteration of Windows brings to the table. The IE8 version included in Windows 7 is tailored on such functionality as Aero Peek, Aero Snap, Thumbnail Previews via the Superbar (the evolved Taskbar), Jump Lists, all available only in Windows 7.

“Our next steps start with listening. We’re going to listen for customer and security issues and respond appropriately. We’re going to engage with web sites and developers on compatibility. We’re going to finish Windows 7,” Hachamovitch added.

IE GM pointed out that Microsoft would continue to work closely with website developers as well as with the standards bodies in order to drive compatibility. The software giant is ready to integrate all the lessons it will learn from IE8 into the next iteration of Internet Explorer.

“We’re going to work with standards bodies to finish CSS 2.1 and bring other standards to a customer-ready state faster. We’re going to stand behind this product and service and secure it for many years. We’re going [to] listen to your feedback while we start work on the next version of IE,” Hachamovitch promised.

Internet Explorer 8 (IE8) RTW is available for download here (for 32-bit and 64-bit flavors of Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008).