Comments on: Microsoft yielding to IE standards pressure?

Redmond may be budging on its support for standards and on key missing features in Internet Explorer.

[System Tyrant]

Standards

Well, I am happy to see that Microsoft might finally support standards better. However, I hope they focus more on security at this time.

Speaking of browsers, I really like the new one from Netscape. The biggest problem I see facing the Alternitive Browsers is lack of support. Firefox is already feeling the pain and Netscape appears to be just running with the crowd. I use Firefox, but like all things if it starts lagging behind I will move on (probably not to IE though).

Let the browser wars begin. Again.

[Bill Dautrive]

No promise

They didn't promise so don't expect it to ever happen. Even if they can get close and add a few features, that will be something.

They will not slow down firefox unless it is reasonably secure. They have yet to come close to reasonably secure, so whatever they throw into IE7 will be worthless without security.

[feranick]

Catching up?

IE7 looks like a catching up release. Everything planned for this release (from security fixes to tab-browsing, to standard comply, even RSS aggregator) is an an attempt to catch up with Firefox which already provides those, for free. So this is not a ground-breaking release, nothing revolutionary. By the time it will be out FireFox will already have something new in it. Then people will ask for those new features in IE8??

By for those who still run old Win versions, FireFox will be still the only way out.

[feranick]

Support

If firefox support is that, does it mean that MS support for IE is good? Of course not. Ask those poor people using IE6 under Win2K. Firefox support may not be great, but at least it exists.

[CyberWoLfman]

Example of what they're talking about

CSS 2 lets you add things like menus to Web pages without having to use other scripting like JavaScript, which many people turn off anyway to stop popup ads. And yes, I'm probably now in trouble with advertisers for telling you how to do that and in trouble with all those popup ad blocker program companies. But, I believe in helping people, and I've had businesses threaten me before. *Shrugs* I'm still here. ;-)

To see a working example of what they're talking about in the way of CSS 2, please see this page: www.cyberwolfman.com/css_web_browsers_history.htm

It also has pictures of the working features for those who can't compare it in both IE and CSS 2 compliant Web browsers like Firefox.

Oh, btw, it's not really a commercial site; I just got tired of forcing my Web site visitors to put up with banner and popup ads. ;-)

- CyberWoLfman

[John Kuzak]

working features

http://www.analogstereo.com/mercedes_g_class_owners_manual.htm

Microsoft Listens? Listens to who?

I like this "Microsoft does respond to customer demand; Web developers are our customers."

If Microsoft listens and responds to customer demand then how come...

1. The were only going to upgrade IE with Windows? This isn't what we wanted.

2. Why do they insist on making the browser an integral part of Windows? This isn't what we wanted.

3. Why do they insist on ActiveX when they know it is a security blackhole. This isn't what we wanted.

4. Why don't they support web standards and support them correctly? Why not full support for CSS 2, DOM and PNG? Poor support and "the Microsoft way" on these things isn't what we wanted.

5. Why doesn't IE have the features that we want that just about every other browser out there has? This isn't what we wanted.

I don't see how they can claim "Microsoft does respond to customer demand; Web developers are our customers." When developers and customers alike have been screaming for these things to be corrected for years.

Someone needs to pull their head out and take a breath.

Robert

[qazwiz]

Why NOW?

What with the previous 'wait until longhorn' and their usual lack of concern for what the customer wants I ask "Why now?" I only need to look to my Desktop to det the answer

I'm not too sure about style sheets but all the other things mentioned(tabbed browser and RSS feeds) are in DEEPNET EXPLORER. A free browser that even knows what your IE6 preferences were and sets them as the defauld when you download this gem.

I heard about it here in CNet so search the name and get the goods for FREE

Why Now?

Why now, because Microsoft is loosing market share and that freaks them out to no end. The though that there are now more people using another browser other than IE than there was before makes old Billy Gates get all sweating and shaky.

They thought they could get away with serving up crap when and how they pleased because they had most of the market share. Firefox proved them wrong. If fixing a couple things and adding a few features will get them back the market share they lost or even more than they had before you can bet they will do it.

The problem then becomes who do you trust. Microsoft and IE for security or Firefox. I will stick with Firefox.

I think the biggest winners to improvements to IE will be if they go with better or full standards support. It will make life much easier for web designers.

Robert