Microsoft Technet has posted an interview with Rob Franco, from the Internet Explorer team and Brian Countryman, Program Manager in Internet Explorer. The interview goes by the topic Changes in Internet Explorer for Windows Server 2003. According to the baseline at MS IE6 SP1 marks the top mark of IE implementation in "legacy OS's". If this is true for Windows XP too, remains unclear. Read more... Host: Brian (Microsoft)
Q: when / will there be the next version of IE? A: As part of the OS, IE will continue to evolve, but there will be no future standalone installations. IE6 SP1 is the final standalone installation. Host: Rob (Microsoft)
Q: What's the long-term outlook for IE as a development platform? Are there major limitations planned for future releases (such as in Longhorn) due to security reasons? I know that this is a concern to many developers that rely on IE technology. A: Security continues to be a top priority. The platform will change for longhorn but you can expect the client, where folks need to browse, to not be as restrictive as the server. I encourage folks to get involved in our beta program to help us evolve the platform Host: Brian (Microsoft)
Q: Why is this? the anti-trust? (no further standalone) A: Although this is off topic, I will answer briefly: Legacy OSes have reached their zenith with the addition of IE 6 SP1. Further improvements to IE will require enhancements to the underlying OS. Source: MS Technet