The new version of Microsoft’s browser is ready to go.  And just as IE7 was less annoying than IE6, IE8 promises to be even better, with updates to its rendering, including expanded CSS support.  Better AJAX functionality and RSS tools are also included.

The main features of the new browser, though, revolve around security, privacy and speed — IE8 is supposed to be a much safer, faster browser to use, brining it closer to its fast-moving competitors.

The browser is set to launch at around noon today, according to Microsoft.  When the final becomes available, it’ll show up here.  I guess this afternoon I’ll need to take it for a spin around my sites, and my clients’ sites, to make sure everything plays nice in IE8.

Hopefully this also encourages some people (and IT departments) to move away from IE6, now that it’s two versions behind.