Windows 7 IE8 to be the last Internet Explorer?

With the recent information surfacing that Microsoft is considering Webkit to be used in Internet Explorer, it got people wondering if Microsoft would really give up on their own rendering engine. Today, we received a tip that Microsoft was in fact giving up on their own rendering engine. Not just their engine though, but the whole Internet Explorer browser.

Our source notes that Internet Explorer 8, which just was said to have RTM'ed a few weeks ago will be the last Internet Explorer that Microsoft will ever make. Their new browser, which the name of which has not yet been released, will feature a fresh start. It is unclear whether or not it will use Webkit, or another rendering engine. What is clear though is that Microsoft is ready to drop their heavily used, and criticized browser for something that will be new and fresh.

On another note, our source stated that currently the successor to Windows 7, is slated to be named Windows 8, and Microsoft plans on using the numerical naming scheme from now on. Please take all of this with an extra grain of salt, since it is still very early in the planning period of Windows 8 (Windows 7 isn't even completed yet), and the Internet Explorer 8 team is just wrapping up their development.

Update: It seems like IE's successor has been confimed to be \"Gazelle\", a browser currently under development at Microsoft Research. It is said to be more secure than FireFox and Chrome; keeping plug-in's sandboxed within the browser, so it will not affect the PC if you stumble upon some malware.

Be sure to take all of this with a hefty serving of salt though. At this stage, anything is game.

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