From the newsletter:

For IDL, release 8.0, scheduled to release mid next year, will add new language features and visualization experiences aimed at breaking down the barriers between complex data and actionable results. IDL users will quickly and easily be able to create highly interactive visualizations from their complex data sources, while also IDL’s powerful analysis capabilities. In addition, new language features will allow customization of visualizations with ease and efficiency, allowing users to concentrate on analysis.