molly.com
Monday 3 March 2008
Celebrate, C’mon! IE8 Standards Mode To Be Default
By now you’ve likely read about the big news regarding Microsoft’s commitment to a more interoperable Web, starting with the very good news that standards mode in IE8 will now ship as default.
I’m off to MIX08 tomorrow, and will be attending the keynotes as well as developer discussions on IE8 and additional events surrounding Microsoft’s agenda moving forward. I’ll post more as I’m able.
In the meantime, I just want to shout out a thanks for all the hard work it took this year to keep the IE8 conversation open and alive. We’ve been through some bumpy times, and I for one know that people on the inside of Microsoft faced an enormous amount of pressure in trying to keep that conversation in the public eye.
To all who worked so very hard from both the inside and outside, I toast your dedication, your willingness to challenge what would otherwise be the status quo, and I think it’s really worth taking a celebratory moment to realize that at least for now, the community voice can, and does, truly make a difference.
Filed under: professional, policies, standards, software, web design and development, society, w3c, conferences, announcement, browsers, microsoft, community
Posted by: Molly | 10:13 pm |
March 3rd, 2008 at 10:47 pm
Amen.
March 3rd, 2008 at 11:01 pm
The celebration in order here reminds me of that episode in ‘The Simpsons’ (series 5 maybe) where Al Gore decides to celebrate good times by playing “Celebrate Good Times” (KC & The Sunshine Band maybe?) and he remarks (dead-pan)…
I will!
To the freaks/designers and geeks/developers of the web. Rejoice!
(I know I will!)
March 3rd, 2008 at 11:04 pm
W00t!!!! This is a good day for web geeks!
I’m excited to hear more about IE8 at MIX.
See you there Molly.
March 3rd, 2008 at 11:33 pm
Great news, Molly. I think this is truely a good day for web standardistas and the principles we hold true and dear.
I am also heartened by Microsoft’s rationale in the announcement. Interoperability. I, for one, do hold high hopes for the world of IE8.
Excellent news.
March 3rd, 2008 at 11:33 pm
[…] Official anouncment and some people’s reactions. […]
March 3rd, 2008 at 11:38 pm
[…] Dean Hachamovitch, General Manager of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, has released a statement that IE8 is going to Support Standards Mode by Default rather than using the proposed opt in for IE8 Standards Mode. This is big news. And good news. (via Molly) […]
March 3rd, 2008 at 11:53 pm
[…] I picked up the news via Molly Holzschlag’s blog, by the way, as she’s heavily associated over the last few years with the IE team so she’s really the horse’s mouth on this subject for news breaks. […]
March 4th, 2008 at 12:14 am
That news was a great way to start the week! Things are looking up!
Now see if you can’t pry from the team some more details about new/updated browser features, eh?
March 4th, 2008 at 1:28 am
This is absolutely fantastic news. Microsoft deserves some praise for at least being brave enough to about-face on an important issue.
March 4th, 2008 at 1:55 am
[…] IE8 Standards Mode To Be Default […]
March 4th, 2008 at 1:56 am
This is great news, unbelievably great news. However, the following line in the statement intrigues me:
“While we do not believe any current legal requirements would dictate which rendering mode a browser must use, this step clearly removes this question as a potential legal and regulatory issue.”
Is it the act of community uproar, or the some overseen legal issue that forced the change? Or is this a get of jail quick card should the decision be reversed again before release? It’s just that this line sticks out like a soar thumb for me, can you throw any light upon this?
March 4th, 2008 at 3:13 am
YAY!!! FAB NEWS….
no doubt it’s a big thanks to people akin to your spirit and your lovely self - to keep on pushing for the better solution 
Thanks, Molly
(hope Paul’s worries won’t become true…?!)
March 4th, 2008 at 3:22 am
YIIIIIIIIIIAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH !!!!!
Web community : let’s celebrate, it’s party time !
March 4th, 2008 at 4:01 am
This really is good news; many thanks to you, Molly, and the other standardistas who have been working with Microsoft and the IE Team to get this right - even if it took them a while to get there
Does your blog support dancing bananas? Just in case… :banana:
March 4th, 2008 at 5:29 am
Excellent, and a heartfelt “well done” to all.
Thank you for your efforts.
See you this weekend!
March 4th, 2008 at 5:51 am
Result!
Well done Microsoft for coming down on the side of standards. For once, I salute you. And to those who came together en-masse in support of standards…… YEE HA!
March 4th, 2008 at 6:53 am
Kanpai (Cheers) for Microsoft, IE Team and web standards!!!
March 4th, 2008 at 8:01 am
Molly,
Much thanks to you for your tireless effort advocating standards from the “inside” of the Microsoft Machine. I have no doubt it has taken a lot of your energy.
March 4th, 2008 at 8:22 am
“We’ve decided that IE8 will, by default, interpret web content in the most standards compliant way it can. This decision is a change from what we’ve posted previously. ”
This really is good news for the web!
March 4th, 2008 at 11:04 am
Outstanding! Can’t wait to give it a whirl.
March 4th, 2008 at 1:31 pm
@Paul Lloyd — Microsoft’s not the one who made standards support into a legal issue, that was Opera.
March 4th, 2008 at 1:32 pm
shame they just have to apparently hide behind this mythical new “interoperability principles” document, rather than coming right out and admitting that they didn’t expect such a strong and vocal backlash from the community…
March 4th, 2008 at 1:42 pm
[…] Here, have some links, just in case you don’t believe me and haven’t heard it from someone else. Molly E. Holzschlag L. Jeffrey Zeldman IEBlog PressPass […]
March 4th, 2008 at 3:50 pm
@patrick — there’s nothing mythical about the 3 billion dollars in fines from the EU. Bet that had more to do with it than the “community backlash.”
March 4th, 2008 at 7:50 pm
Good news.
Now how about some word on whether they are going to support SVG or not.
Why be so secretive?
March 4th, 2008 at 7:54 pm
I’m still stunned. Part of me expects to turn around and have another post on the blog yelling “HAHAHAHAH! Fooled you!”
But seriously, it’s an awesome win for standards. The version switch is still contrary to perfection, but defaulting to standards makes it just dandy in the real world. Only those sites that actually break need the fix, which is easy to implement. “There art thou happy…”
March 6th, 2008 at 3:52 am
Am I the only one worrying that people won’t be using IE8 due to websites looking broken in it? What good is a new version to us then, if people are still using the old one?
March 7th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
güselll
March 9th, 2008 at 2:45 am
This the best news of the year.
Congratulations, this is a very big boon to web standards.
Now, why did they have to introduce XDR ;_;
March 12th, 2008 at 10:45 am
This is defenitely a good news. If its work like other browser hey we don’t have to write all hacks.
March 19th, 2008 at 7:27 am
[…] Microsoft stelde de eerste beta van IE8 ter beschikking, er is vooral veel te doen over de nieuwe “rendering modes” (a.k.a. version targeting). […]
April 11th, 2008 at 2:06 am
[…] Official anouncment and some people’s reactions. […]
April 25th, 2008 at 11:00 am
it is easy to find it, i think u just search on google or yahoo
April 25th, 2008 at 11:41 am
but, i think it is another thing which you have
April 25th, 2008 at 11:54 am
i like it
April 25th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
interesting, thanks
April 25th, 2008 at 12:14 pm
do you know everything about css?
April 25th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
how can i find everything about css?
April 25th, 2008 at 12:27 pm
what do you want to learn about css? we can help easily
April 25th, 2008 at 12:33 pm
i want learn too, i want start at the beginning of css
April 25th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
it is good t see u
April 25th, 2008 at 12:46 pm
thats the matter i want to learn
April 25th, 2008 at 12:52 pm
ok,thanks
April 25th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
hi, umit. how is going on
April 30th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
More Service please
May 3rd, 2008 at 4:34 pm
great news molly, thanks..