Jack Warble wrote:Bear, thanks for the input. I'm glad to hear that the new IE browsers are getting more inline with everyone else.
With IE market-share plummeting, apparently Microsoft finally figured out that "our way or the highway" wasn't working anymore. I hear good things about IE10 as well, but haven't had any personal experience with it. (I don't use Windows).
I've posted this on several web development forums to try to get as much input as possible and I'm surprised at how little response the post generated. More surprised that most of the responses were of a hostile nature.
Hostility on the web? Who knew?
Yeah, don't see the need for any hostility. But just look at the various comments sections of news sites, blogs, and even youtube, and, well, it makes me weep for humanity.
On the other hand, written communication is iffy. Could be the hostility is just a misreading?
I just don't get it. Every web development message board contains posts for help in getting things to work on IE that work without problems on other browsers and how everyone despises IE, yet suggest an organized effort to try to make things better for us and you get hostility. It's just bizarre.
Even a year or so ago, my response would have been very different from what I posted above. IE9 was a huge (huge!) strep in the right direction. If things were still in the IE8 state, I'd be taking up the torch and pitchfork right alongside you.
It just seems to me that an organized effort to inform the less tech-savvy general public on the benefits of not using non-compliant browsers would be a good thing.
It'd never work. Anyone that's inclined to change browser already has. Those that aren't are terrified to install anything. These are the people that call IE "The Internet". The most detailed instructions in the world won't entice this crowd to do anything. They'll just move on to another site.
So you say that companies you do work for aren't supporting versions of IE before 8. Do they notify users of older browsers of this or do those users just see screwed up or non-functioning features?
For the most part, they just list the supported browsers and let the buyer beware. A few block access completely. Others issue a warning. Others just let it ride and just say they don't support the older browser so don't bitch and moan.
Honestly, it hasn't been much of an issue. As I said, tools like jQuery really level the playing field, so even on the older browsers, things either work, or mostly work.