Web Standards: How to Untangle the Web We Weave




Birmingham Post

03/15/08 4:00 AM PT


Microsoft said the new version of its browser,
when complete, will support industry-standard versions of the code that
tells browsers what Web pages should look like, including CSS 2.1, by
default. "That's a big deal," said Chris Swenson, a software industry
analyst for the NPD Group.




has given testers their first glimpse of its next-generation Web
browser -- and said Internet Explorer 8 will adhere to the same
standards as competitors' programs.
Microsoft's browsers,
including the current Internet Explorer 7, gained notoriety among Web
developers for handling Web page code differently than (Nasdaq: AAPL) Safari, the now-defunct Netscape Navigator and others.
For the most part, major non-Microsoft browsers and outside
developers who built Web pages worked with agreed-upon technical
standards, while Microsoft was accused of adding proprietary code to
those standards.
The result: Web pages that looked good in Internet Explorer, but broke on other browsers, or vice versa.




Broken Pages



At a Web developer conference in Las Vegas, Dean Hachamovitch, general manager for Microsoft's Internet Explorer division, made light of Microsoft's past spotty standards and pledged to do better.
Hachamovitch said that in early Internet Explorer 7 days, his kids
would hear about broken Web sites and ask, "Daddy, did you guys break
the Web?"
"And most of the time I could honestly say, 'No.' But, you know, Web
developers might answer that question a little bit differently,"
Hachamovitch added.


Not So Funny



He elicited a laugh, but developers have sometimes had to build Web
sites from scratch a second time to devise a version that worked with
Microsoft's browsers.
Microsoft said the new version of the browser, when complete, will
support industry-standard versions of the code that tells browsers what
Web pages should look like, including CSS (cascading style sheets) 2.1,
by default.
"That's a big deal," said Chris Swenson, a software industry analyst for the NPD Group.
While most Web surfers might not feel a huge impact, Swenson said it
will bring "a sigh of relief" for developers, who will spend a lot less
time tweaking Web pages to work with different browsers.


Standards Lacking



However, both Swenson and Microsoft note that Web standards continue
to evolve, and that definitive tests to determine compliance don't yet
exist.
Microsoft indicated its intention to step up involvement with this process.
The group's decision might also help it fend off a new antitrust investigation in Europe.
Regulators are looking into whether the software maker held other browsers back by not following open Internet standards.
The probe was launched after Norwegian browser developer Opera Software filed a complaint in late 2007.
Microsoft also unveiled a few features in the new browser that may
appeal more to average Web users. For example, right-clicking on a Web
page will give people more "to-do" options than they'd see today.
Users will be able to "Send to Facebook," "Map with Live Search" or "Define with Dictionary.com" with a quick click.






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The Webs We Weave?! They will be even greater now!