1.	Hi Dave!
2.	There were several issues discussed in the thread you linked to.
3.	The first question is, where is the IE 5 beta?
4.	I'm afraid the answer to this question isn't the one I'd like to give. The short answer is that there is no way for developers to get IE 5 until our release on March 18th. However, this has nothing to do with the web distribution mechanism - we can't provide new CD's of IE 5 beta either.
5.	The reason for this is that we are complying with a preliminary injunction in the Blue Mountain Arts lawsuit, which requires us not to distribute Outlook Express.
6.	Outlook Express in the IE 5 Beta contains a junk mail blocking feature. Because this feature is based on a software algorithm which attempts to determine what is junk mail and what isn't, sometimes it inadvertently deletes content that is not junk mail. Blue Mountain Arts mistakenly believes that this optional junk mail filter (which is off by default) has been engineered to target them in particular.
7.	We have been issued a preliminary injunction which requires us to not distribute the junk mail feature, which is in the Outlook Express Beta. Because the Outlook Express beta is part of the IE 5 Beta, we have had to pull the IE 5 beta from our site to comply with this order. The final release of IE 5 will not contain the junk mail filter feature (which I personally think is a shame for end-users.)
8.	It's not feasible for us to build a new version of the IE beta without the OE beta at this point, since we are so close to shipping and our developers are focused on getting IE wrapped up to meet our announced ship date. I'm sure you are familiar with the measured frenzy that precedes any commercial software release.
9.	Therefore, unfortunately, there is no way to get the beta at this time, and that's why it's gone from the site. Please let me know if you have any questions about this and I will do my best to answer them.
10.	Will Friedman, Technical Evangelist, Internet Explorer