Microsoft Preps IE 7 Beta Refresh

This is just a thought, but if IE loads all pages that are in the normal standard (or as they were originally; remember, MS doesnt update alot, so you cant expect them to change to the standards that change daily), but MS also has an extended set of standards (for enhanced functionality, like activeX for example), then what is the problem. Also, remember that with 88% of the marketshare, MS IS THE STANDARD, not the other way around. Think about that for a couple minutes...

IE7 apparently confirms to web standards. Also, I don't think it was due to a monopoly thing. Microsoft was simply lax in adhering to standards. They had won the browser war over netscape and didn't really pay much attention to IE after that. It's only Firefox's recent popularity that has led them to build the new browser from the ground up. I'm not sure if I'm going to switch to IE7 yet, but I'm sure that a lot of home users who buy vista will not find the need to do so. That said, a string of lawsuits has definitely changed the way Microsoft operates. The last few years, I don't think the company has done anything to abuse its monopoly. They're not forcing computer manufacturers to provide their software anymore. The WMP issue is a money making scheme for Real Networks. As soon as google search started to become popular, the old Microsoft would have bundled their own search with their OS and tried to kill competition. They didn't do it and infact, IE7 has google enabled by default. The company seems to have matured into a "gentle giant".

"When webpages created in Frontpage are messed up in Firefox, isn't it Firefox's fault. Unless the browser is able to display all webpages the same way IE does, IE will continue to have a big market share. Is it meaningful that users of Firefox have to use IE to display some pages?"

It's meaningful, but pathetic. What Micro$oft should do is this: Write a browser that conforms to web standards, and drop the use of proprietary garbage that has largely "broken" the Web. Will this cause some temporary pain? Sure. But it will also force web developers to write their sites to STANDARDS, not to a desperately broken Microsoft browser.

I find it amazing that people will constantly rip on Apple for being closed and proprietary, when MS is just as bad--or worse--by basically using their monopoly power to force people into using one particular browser made by one particular company.

"This is the World Wide Web! Not the Microsoft Web!"
I agree. Go tell that to Microsoft."

I'm sure Microsoft is well aware of that. The fact that they don't give a s h i t is what rankles so many of us.

"Of course, Mozilla cannot use that as an excuse not to display pages created using MS software."

There's also no excuse for propping up a monopoly. The growth of alternative browsers such as Mozilla, Opera, Safari and others has already resulted in many sites being re-written to conform to Web Standards, not Microsoft Glop.

Repeat after me: "WRITE TO STANDARDS". It's a good thing.

It's hilarious watching Microsoft fanbois defending Microsoft ripping off tabbed browsing, popup blocking, and all the other features Firefox and Opera innovated five years ago.

"bye bye fire-hampster. In one year MS took away what took the M.F. years to achieve...functionality."

Do you mean virus functionality?

In Nisun's defense, more and more web developers are starting to test their sites with Firefox now. I still don't like the fact that I have to use IE to view some webpages, but I guess that's life.