Downloads of Internet Explorer 8 RTW are just around the corner, approximately a couple of weeks away. The RTW label stands for “release to web,” a reference Microsoft uses for software solutions that are made available via the web, the equivalent of RTM (release to manufacturing) for desktop products. The Redmond company is reportedly planning to release IE8 RTW in the week of March 16, 2009. I'm going to go one step further and say that Microsoft will make the gold version of Internet Explorer 8 available for download at MIX09, its web-centric conference, which is scheduled to take place between March 18-20 in Las Vegas.

Microsoft has so far failed to point out the exact date when IE8 RTW will start being served; however, TechARP claims that the deadline for the availability of IE7's successor will be somewhere in the week of March 16. The software giant is bound to settle on a specific deadline for IE8 RTW's availability, and even to share it, reportedly by March 9. IE8's availability involves not only the actual bits of the browser going live on the Download Center, but also the release of localized versions and launch on Windows Update, Microsoft Update and Automatic Updates.

Still, the first step for Microsoft will be to offer IE8 for download. It's no coincidence that MIX09 is just a couple of weeks away and there is nothing but radio silence on the Internet Explorer 8 front ahead of the event. Just as it's no coincidence that Dean Hachamovitch, the general manager of Internet Explorer, is scheduled to keynote at MIX09. The last time he keynoted at MIX, namely in 2008 at the beginning of March, he announced the availability of Internet Explorer 8 Beta 1. In this context, the possibility that Hachamovitch will launch Internet Explorer 8 RTW at MIX09 is very high, although Microsoft has yet to confirm anything officially.

At the end of January 2009, the Redmond company wrapped up and offered testers what it referred to as the last major development milestone of Internet Explorer 8, namely IE8 (Release Candidate) RC. By the end of February, the software giant was reported to have finalized the development of IE8 with the release of Internet Explorer 8 Build 8.0.6001.18691 RTW for Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows Server 2008, and Windows Server 2003.