If you want to see what IE8 might look like then it could be - but as it's in Beta, it's probably worth waiting till the full release. If you're a web developer then the beta would be interesting as it would give a clue as to how the rendering engine works
YeY it's good to hear that it's gonna be more compliant, and, according to that article it actually is more compliant so YEY. With being a website-developer this is always good news