Internet Explorer 8

Microsoft have announced that Internet Explorer 8 will be available later this year. But big changes mean that your website may not survive the experience.

But why such drastic changes?

The web is build on standards. They're supposed to ensure that everyone gets the same final experience, regardless of what browser or operating system they use. Internet Explorer (IE), the worlds most popular web browser, didn't adhere to many aspects of these specifications.

Many web developers simply chose to write websites for IE, and didn't really worry about the others.

However, things change! IE's market share has been slipping and Microsoft is coming under extreme pressure to comply with standards. So, they're trying to make amends by making Internet Explorer 8 more compliant.

So why does this concern me?

IE8 may now interpret your website data in a different way to previous versions. This means that your existing website could be fine, it could have a few minor graphical glitches, or it may simply not function properly at all!

Mircosoft have begun warning web developers to check that their web sites will work, and have issued a pre-release (beta) version of the software. Here at Pragmatic Design, we've been having a play with it, and are happy to report that all is well with sites which we've developed. But things aren't so rosy for everyone.

We estimate that up to 78% of current websites will experience a problem in some form or other. The first websites to encounter problems are likely to be those aimed at home users. This is because home users update their software and computers more frequently than business users.

What can I do?

Contact Pragmatic Design, and we'll be able to discuss the best options for ensuring that your website isn't left unusable by the forthcoming changes.