Welcome to Windows Internet Explorer 8. This is the message displayed initially by the installer for the next iteration of Microsoft's proprietary browser, as you can very well see from the screenshot accompanying this article. Just an anodyne proof that Internet Explorer Beta 1 is now live. At the end of the past week, Microsoft began sending out invitations to the first beta build for IE8. Participation in the limited technical beta program for Internet Explorer 8 Beta 1 is possible only through explicit invitations from the IE Team. The Redmond company has now confirmed the kick-off of the private IE8 Beta 1 testing.

Here is the link pre-selected IE8 Beta 1 testers have to follow, but if you have not been invited to participate in the Technical Beta, it won't do you any good. The best that I can do for you, at this point in time, is to deliver the first taste of Internet Explorer 8 Beta 1. Yes, I do agree it isn't much, but at the same time, it's better than nothing.

As you can see, the screenshot contains the first dialog box displayed by the IE8 Beta 1 installer running in Windows XP. At this point in time, the sole difference that separates the IE7 and IE8 installation experiences is the "Welcome to the Windows Internet Explorer 8" message. Otherwise, the users are still advised that "before you begin, we recommend that you save your files and close all programs. Because Internet Explorer 8 will be updating files that might be in use, you must restart your computer once setup is complete. This ensures that all files are properly updated and installation is completed."

Following the availability of Internet Explorer 7 for Windows XP SP2 and Windows Server 2003 back in October 2006, and then with the subsequent releases of Windows Vista in November 2006 for businesses, and in January 2007 for the general consumers, Microsoft moved onward with the development of IE8. The first signs of life for Internet Explorer 8 only dropped in December 2007, ahead of confirmation that the browser, in standards mode, successfully passed the Acid2 test.

With Dean Hachamovitch, IE General Manager, having promised since the end of the past year the delivery of IE8 Beta 1 by mid 2008, Microsoft has now debuted the private Beta testing process of the first milestone of the browser. Internet Explorer 8 Beta 1 is making headway toward general availability, with the date still unspecified, but just around the corner by all indications, including word from the IE Team.