Internet Explorer 8 Compatibility View List Update

With the advent of Windows 7 Release Candidate, Microsoft also delivered a new version of Internet Explorer. Being bundled into Windows 7 as a default component, Internet Explorer 8 comes in a separate flavor tailored to the next iteration of the Windows client, still in development, although the versions designed for previous Windows releases have been made available in mid-March 2009. Along with the delivery of the new IE8 Build 7100 in Windows 7 RC, the Redmond company also updated the compatibility list associated with the browser. The software giant released a series of updates designed not only for IE8 in Windows 7 RC but also for the browser versions in pre-Windows 7 platforms.

“Windows Internet Explorer 8 improves browser interoperability and advances the Web by delivering a better implementation of Web standards. While this is a move in the right direction, users might encounter compatibility issues with some sites that still rely on the behavior of previous versions of Internet Explorer. Microsoft understands the shift towards standards compatibility with Internet Explorer 8 may take some time to complete for each organization or webmaster. To bridge this transition, we offer the Compatibility View list. The list helps make websites designed for older browsers look better in Internet Explorer 8,” Microsoft explained.

The Compatibility View list is designed to make IE8 play nice with websites designed specifically for older versions of the browser, namely IE6 and IE7. With IE8 coming with support for modern web standards, and IE6 and IE7 being severely handicapped in this respect, users will find older content, not adapted to Internet Explorer 8, render erroneously in the latest version of the browser. The list is set up to work in conjunction with the Compatibility View feature of IE8 and the browser's multiple rendering modes.

32-bit and 64-bit Windows 7 (Release Candidate) RC Build 7100.0.090421-1700 is available for download here.

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).