The IE product team still doesn’t get it. They don’t understand that a web browser change should not result in a website needing to be redesigned or updated. Assuming a site hasn’t done anything too browser-centric, the fact that clients may use a new browser to view the site shouldn’t matter. This is why we have web standards organizations.
Scoble points to a post on the IE team blog where, among other things, they talk about “The only way for us to continue to improve our standards support is to get your help in changing your sites for IE7″.
No, no, no. Folks shouldn’t have to change their sites because Microsoft ships a new browser. If folks want to make some tweaks that might exploit some new IE-only features, that’s an option, but to imply that the only way Microsoft can adhere to web standards is if webmasters change their sites is incredibly arrogant and ignorant of the way that the web should work.
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I believe you are reading this wrong. Read the whole quote:
“But as we’ve been continually reminded, better standards support in IE also means some pages break. As we struggle to balance the needs of our user customers with the desires of web developers, we need your help. The only way for us to continue to improve our standards support is to get your help in changing your sites for IE7.”
IE6 was definitely not standards compliant, and allows web developers to write sloppy code and get away with it. IE7 is much more standard compliant, meaning old non-compliant webpages that IE6 rendered to look nice, will look how they should with IE7. Meaning these devolpers will have to change their sites for IE7, or said another way, will have to change their sites to be standards compliant.
Yeah, you’re reading this wrong. The team’s very aware that hitting standards compliance means less redesigning. Kinda the whole point. But, sometimes there’s IE-specific code out there that will need updated. The team is also aware of that.
Perhaps I’m reading it wrong, but perhaps the article is written from a poor standpoint. If they want folks to adhere to standards, just come out and say it. Don’t make it sound like websites need to be rewritten in bulk to work with IE 7.
The more IE6-specific stuff that breaks, the better, because maybe folks will realize just how crappy of a browser it is.
If the end result is that more sites work correctly in any standards-compliant browser without platform-specific hacks, then that’s all I care about. I’ll gladly redesign a little to hit that mark.