It’s news like this that make me feel like hell has gotten a bit colder. After the numerous complaints regarding the way Internet Explorer 7 was distributed, it looks like Microsoft is going to let everyone will be able to get their hands on the first IE8 beta when it comes out (or at least all the people who follow their obscure URLs and community registrations).

The main focus with Internet Explorer 8 is web standards. I thought that was 7’s focus, but using the browser, or developing webpages that look good on it, has proved otherwise. Underneath that nice-looking UI (although that’s debatable) there are some problems that the Microsoft devs simply didn’t have time to handle.

I’m glad that Microsoft is focusing on their browser rather than sitting comfortably still in the dominant position. Better Web Standards on all browsers is great for all internet users, as it means that developers and designers will have to worry less about browser-specific bugs, and concentrate themselves more on bringing you those juicy AJAX programs we all love.

Via ITweek