As planned, Microsoft delivered a general preview of Internet Explorer 8.0 at MIX07 in the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas. Chris Wilson, Platform Architect for Internet Explorer, presented a session entitled IE7: Past, Present and Future. The Future reference was correlated with Internet Explorer 8, but Wilson failed to present any specific details related to the upcoming version of Microsoft's browser.

Wilson did manage to share a selection of general directions Microsoft is planning to bring to the table with Internet Explorer 8. If IE7 was the indisputable star at MIX06, this year, Silverlight stole the whole show and IE8 was nothing more than a prompt. Wilson even stated openly that Microsoft was not allowing him to go into IE8 details.

Still, the next version of IE will be focused, from its development phase on two aspects, standard compliance and security. As far as customer protection goes, the Redmond Company will aim to repeat the security performances delivered with Internet Explorer 7, but also raise the standard. Since October 2006, when it was released, IE7 has had a good run in terms of security, delivering a major evolution over the feeble IE6 that has permitted Firefox to gain a consistent market share.

According to Mary Jo Foley, IE8 will require developers to "opt-in" to standards mode for websites built for the next version of the browser. This strategy is designed as an inherent part of the effort to make IE8 more standard-compliant. Layout, object model and Ajax development are additional aspects that will be addressed in the development process together with increasing standard compliance.

According to Wilson increased compliance with CSS 2.1 layout standards will be one of the core elements of IE8 development. The Redmond Company also plans to drive up the interoperability of the IE8 object model and to make the browser more tweak- and extension-friendly.