IE 7.0 Technical Changes Leave Web Developers, Users in the Lurch

windowsitpro.com ^ | 8/2/05 | Paul Thurrott

[rock_lobsta]

'Boycott IE. It's a cancer on the Web that must be stopped.'

Coming from Thurrott, whom I generally consider to be a Microsoft shill, this is a big condemnation of IE7. He has gotten progressively more critical of MS since Vista's development problems.

[gondramB]

>>IE 7.0 Technical Changes Leave Web Developers, Users in the Lurch<<

Gosh, I hope it doesn't leave us Firefox users in the lurch...

[angkor]

I've been trying to avoid IE forever, with Netscape, Opera, Mozilla, Firefox, and even Maxthon (Maxthon was/is a "development partner" of MS).

But you have to keep it around, because there are a few sites that demand it, and a few apps that use IE DLL's and rendering (the excellent SharpReader RSS reader). So you're stuck.

95 percent of all sites seem to do well with Firefox and Opera.

[KoRn]

ping

[Turbopilot]

IE is one thing Microsoft has done a really bad job with lately, and it's only apparent because of how good a product Firefox is. Tabbed browsing in and of itself is one of those features that, once you've used it, you can't understand how you ever used a computer without it. And extensions that let you customize the browser to your tastes are brillant - to say nothing of the fact that Firefox opens and loads pages faster, and takes up less HD space. Opera has the best-looking interface, but is slightly slower and there aren't nearly as many extensions available.

For me to switch from IE, I had to see something not just different or as good, but better - and I did. I've completely switched to Firefox, and other than Windows Update itself I don't seem to run across any incompatible web sites. I now consider Firefox to be an essential part of a properly configured computer. To get me to switch back, IE must have everything Firefox does, and then be better still - right not it looks like IE7 is just going to try to be "as good" (or "almost as good") as Firefox, and that won't cut it for me or most other people.

[CedarDave]

My advice is simple: Boycott IE. It's a cancer on the Web that must be stopped. IE isn't secure and isn't standards-compliant, which makes it unworkable both for end users and Web content creators. Because of their user bases, however, Web developers are hamstrung into developing for IE at the expense of established standards that work well in all other browsers. You can turn the tide by demanding more from Microsoft and by using a better alternative Web browser. I recommend and use Mozilla Firefox, but Apple Safari (Macintosh only) and Opera 8 are both worth considering as well.

[SlowBoat407]

As long as IE is still the standard to which major institutions (banks, credit cards, etc) design their websites for interactivity, we're all stuck. I could not use Firefox or Safari to do online bill payments until just recently. Before then, I had to keep a copy of IE on my computer solely for that purpose.

[KoRn]

"My advice is simple: Boycott IE. It's a cancer on the Web that must be stopped. IE isn't secure and isn't standards-compliant, which makes it unworkable both for end users and Web content creators."

Microsoft all too often takes a 'our way or the highway' approach. For the most part, such a philosophy slows the growth of technological advancement because it tends to put people in a little box. The greatest advancements in IT happened when people worked together, allowing for cross platform operability.

A perfect example of this is a Cisco Router, or any other piece of networking hardware. If networking hardware were all like Microsoft OSs, you couldn't use a non-Cisco router or switch with a Cisco switch because they wouldn't communicate. Sure, with using Cisco and non-Cisco, you may miss out on some advanced features that Cisco may offer. It will all function well nonetheless, regardelss of the manufacturer.

[MikefromOhio]

well of COURSE it's going to be jacked up.

It's from Micro$$$$$$$$$$$$$$oft

[MikefromOhio]

You have to keep a copy of IE on a Windows Machine anyway. It's inseperable from the OS....

[CedarDave]

I was viewing one website over the weekend ( www.elpasotimes.com ) and got the following notice when trying to play a video using Firefox:

This product requires Microsoft© Internet Explorer 6, Microsoft© Media Player 10, and Macromedia Flash 6. To download these free software applications, click the links below and follow the on-screen instructions. Step 1: Download Microsoft© Internet Explorer 6 Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 is free to download Once the installations are complete, reload this page.

Of course all of these are loaded on my machine, but they apparently don't work with Firefox at this website and I had to fire up IE6. Any suggestions from those more knowledgeable than me? (I don't plan on reloading anything if I can avoid it; must be some tweaks I can do without reloading).

[SlowBoat407]

You have to keep a copy of IE on a Windows Machine anyway. It's inseperable from the OS....

I use a Mac, so I'm not bound to it by the OS. Plus, MS stopped developing IE for the Mac with version 5. I'm seeing better convergence among the browsers now, so I'm not worried, but there was a time when I saw some problems brewing due to IE being the "standard".

[djf]

I doubt it will. This entire scheme can be seen as another MS attempt to own the Internet. Yet the entire concept of the internet was intended to be a company free envronment that would evolve under it's own accord.

The marketplace will speak (and has spoken, in the case of Firefox, which I've been using since it was like Firebird .6 or thereabouts)

MS won't be allowed to "own" the net.

[HangThemHigh]

My bank's (Suntrust) bill pay website can be fooled into accepting Firefox (which works just fine) by using "User Agent Switcher". http://chrispederick.com/work/useragentswitcher
This little program simply hides the fact you are using Firefox by telling the offending website that you're using IE (or Netscape or Opera). It doesn't work everywhere, many sites actually require IE

[supercat]

Microsoft blames backward-compatibility problems for the stalemate over true Web standards compatibility.

Simple solution: if the header of a document says it uses a new version of the standards, process it according to the new standards. If not, process it the old way.

What's the problem?

[holymoly]

and Opera 8 are both worth considering as well

The most recent version of Opera is 9.01. It reportedly passes the Acid2 test.

[ShadowAce]

[stylin_geek]

Well, looks like I'll have to find out how to have Firefox lie when a site demands IE. I know it can be done, I've just never worried about it until now.

[antiRepublicrat]

I could not use Firefox or Safari to do online bill payments until just recently.

That's a requirement for me for doing any business online with anyone. I recently sent Sears a note that I wouldn't be shopping for expensive exercise equipment there because they're IE-only.

[garyhope]

I'm currently using IE 7 Beta test ver 3.

I like the tab feature, otherwise I don't know if I can tell the difference, but then I'm no software whiz. The history button seems to have disappeared.