Internet Explorer 8 RTM

Microsoft has finished Internet Explorer 8, with the release to manufacturing (RTM) build expected to hit OEM’s, TechNet, MSDN and Connect in the next few days.

The scoop comes from Russian publication Wzor, with the final build being built on February 21st. This means that any remaining bugs and issues have been fixed.

The final build number is 8.0.6001.18691, with release date for the wider community not expected for a few more weeks.

Microsoft is yet to announce an official release date.

Trend Micro has warned that attackers are exploiting a new bug in Internet Explorer 7 which was patched by Microsoft last week.

The patch which was marked as critical was pushed out using Windows Update last Tuesday, but there are still millions of unpatched versions out there.

The exploit allows remote attakers the ability to install spyware on vulnerable systems.

Users and system administrators are urged to make sure they install all critical patches from Microsoft.

Rumors coming out of Tech ARP suggest that Internet Explorer 8 is headed our way in final two weeks of March.

Internet Explorer 8 will be a free download for existing Windows XP and Windows Vista users, while it is expected OEM partners such as Dell will include the browser pre- installed with new systems.

The date is still speculative, but we should have some more information by early March.

Apple has issued an update to its Safari browser for Windows users.

The browser, with version number 3.2.2, fixes an RSS vulnerability found in the browser mid January.

You can read the full details of the update in the support article. The update should be pushed out to Windows users, or users can download the update manually from the Safari website.

Ben Gooder from Google has revealed that the Linux version of Google Chrome will be using the Gtk+ developer libraries.

This is partly the cause of the delay with both Mac and Linux versions of Chrome, as using native GUI libraries for each version of Chrome requires a large amount of extra time.

Gooder explains “that using these frameworks also limits what you can do to a lowest common denominator subset of what’s supported by that framework on each platform”.

In the long run, this means that Chrome for Linux will look like Chrome for Linux, instead of having a foreign interface.

A release date for Google Chrome Linux is still to be announced.

Google Chrome on Mac

Google’s Mike Pikerton has posted the first screenshots of the Mac build of Google Chrome.

Apparently things are coming along nicely, with tabs now able to properly render web pages.

Mike comments that there is still a “very very long way to go” and a release date is still impossible to predict, although a July release date has been hinted at previously.

Opera Software is set to launch a massive advertising campaign designed to promote Opera Mobile products.

Opera’s Software SVP Rod Hamlin noted that “Over our history, we’ve spent zero [on advertising], so it’s a huge shift”.

On top of this, Opera has a billboard up near Microsoft’s Redmond campus reading “Be a Real Internet explorer? Opera.com.”

If anyone was doubting Opera’s place in the browser market, it seems like there is still hope left for the often forgotten browser.

It appears the release dates for future milestones of Opera 10 have been leaked.

An unconfirmed source leads us to believe that we can expect Opera 10 beta in April with a final release in September. The leaked dates are as follows:

Opera 10 Beta, April 2009
Opera 10 Beta 2, June 2009
Opera 10 RC 1, August 2009
Opera 10 Final, September 2009

These dates are to be taken with a grain of salt however, as they are anything but official. We will update you when we have solid release dates.

Mozilla has just released Firefox for Windows Mobile. Under the name of Fennec, which is the very first public release of the browser.

You can install Fennec on an HTC Touch Pro by navigating to the installation cab file in your exsisting browser. This will then start the installation of the browser.

Early reports vary, with some users unable to open any web pages using Fennec. Mozilla is sure to fix bugs and add new features at the browser progresses.

Happy browsing!

Mozilla has been granted permission by the European Commission to join the suit with Opera against Microsoft for bundeling Internet Explorers with Windows.

Microsoft has been accused with distorting competition in the market for web browsers. If found guilty, Microsoft could be forced to offer other browser upon Windows installation.

Mozilla’s chairperson Mitchell Baker said that Microsoft is harming “competition between web browsers,” and undermining “product innovation and ultimately reduces consumer choice.”

Opera’s chief executive Jon von Tetzchner said “the only way to give users a genuine choice is to strip out IE from Windows and either replace it with a rival browser or offer users a list of browsers to choose from.”

The case is still only in its early stages.