IE4 'summer' launch slips into autumn

With mid-summer night passing in a downpour, and the July 31 date for the release of the official Internet Explorer 4.0 (IE 4.0) Beta now less than three weeks away, the clock is running to see if Microsoft will ship its much awaited browser on time.

The official word from the software giant is that 'summer' is the launch date, though a spokeswoman this morning admitted to ZDNet UK that normally they would not expect to see a final release until two months after the Beta had been circulated, which would mean a "late August, early September" time-frame for the final version of IE 4.0.

The launch of IE 4.0 will herald the next battle in the browser wars, with Microsoft hoping to close the gap on Netscape by persuading Net users to switch to their browser to benefit from a raft of new technologies. More information on IE 4.0 is available on Microsoft's Web site.