First IE6 Service Pack Begins Testing

Testers have reported the first beta build of Internet Explorer 6 SP1 has been released for evaluation. The service pack will be the first major upgrade to IE 6 since it went gold in late August. Various bug fixes and feature enhancements, as well as an accumulation of security fixes will be included in the release.

Internet Explorer 6 marked a departure from the traditional IE interface, bringing about a new look and behavior. Enhanced features such as Explorer bars, media playback, and automatic picture resizing were the main incentives to upgrade for non-Windows XP users.

As with previous releases of Windows, IE6 is included as a core component of Windows XP, and the company has held steadfast to right to bundle. However, Redmond has since relented by allowing users to remove icons from the start menu and desktop through an entry in the operating system's Add/Remove programs utility.

Version 6.0 can also help to maintain the privacy of personal information on the Web, and provide error reporting to identify problems to be fixed in future Internet Explorer service packs.

The beta build is numbered 1114 and contains the following changes: