It took Microsoft six years to move Internet Explorer versions from 6 to 7. IE8 should be along a little quicker - it is slated for release within two years, less than three years after IE7's October 2006 debut.

But Microsoft has a big, big task on its hands: how to improve support for web standards in IE, without breaking millions of websites. Full standards compliance and backward compatibility do not go hand-in-hand for this web browser, alas.