Opt out, by opting in?
A List Apart: Articles: They Shoot Browsers, Don’t They?
This is gobsmackingly audacious. Imagine a new version of Word that behaves exactly like the old version of Word unless the document it is processing contains a hidden instruction to unlock any new features. That’s what Microsoft is demanding that web developers implement. Unless you explicitly say otherwise, IE8 (and IE9 and IE10, ad infinitum) will behave exactly like IE7.
I’ve been following rumors about this feature for awhile. I thought they were going to turn out to be incorrect. It seems too audacious even for Microsoft. Forcing designers to use proprietary code in order or IE to work correctly? I can’t see how this won’t blow up in their faces in some way. It’s sure not going to earn them any good will.
Hope that this will boost all those other browsers.
Frankly, I do not understand why people still use IE. Then again, I don’t understand why anyone is still using Word, where you have to pay for MS bloatware. Coming to think of it, why is anyone still using Windows?
If MS should really enforce this new strategy, I also think it will blow into their faces. OK, all the big websites will adapt, but all those blogs, and other private webpages will just render as IE7 documents.
Hey, rather than employing that MS code in your html, why not put in a little script that tells anyone using IE that now would be a good time to upgrade to, say, Firefox.
Comment by Martin Weiss — February 19, 2008 @ 2:22 pm
I unfortunately have to design for IE, among others, but I don’t use it for anything other than that. I have no idea why anyone would choose IE intentionally. With all the other good choices available, why would you do that? I actually saw someone using IE 5.5 for the Mac the other day. IE on a Mac? Sacrilege! I converted them to Firefox. Another one saved.
Comment by Douglas T — February 19, 2008 @ 3:12 pm
Yeah, it is even Microsoft themselves who advise Mac users to use Firefox.
Now if they only could start doing that for Windows as well, we’d all be better off ;)
Comment by modifoo — February 20, 2008 @ 5:29 am
Keep up the good work.
Comment by Carole Start — February 24, 2008 @ 12:03 pm
Thanks Mom!
Comment by Douglas T — February 25, 2008 @ 2:01 pm
[...] announcing that it will default to Standards mode. This will alleviate the need for designers to opt out, by opting in as I’ve written about [...]
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