Microsoft has the next version of its web browser ready for shipping, and the IE team detailed a number of changes and tweaks they have made to the browser to get it ready for debut.
Millions of machines will go through the process to put the latest iteration of Microsoft’s browser product on their desktops.
And you know what? IE7 still has work to be done to bring its compliance with CSS standards up to standards.
That is a task the IE group appears to be taking seriously, as judged by program manager Markus Mielke who posted about the multitude of fixes on the IE Blog:
IE 7 is a stepping stone in our effort to improve our standards compliance (especially around CSS). As an example, in the platform we did not focus on any proprietary properties – though we may try out new features in the future using the official -ms- prefix, following the CSS extension mechanism. We also work very closely with the W3C CSS working group (which I am a member of) to help clarify assumptions in our implementation and drive clarifications into the spec.
The sound you hear is that of your favorite web developer bestowing a lengthy and inventive stream of colorful metaphors in the general direction of Redmond, WA.
Microsoft is trying, though. Mielke noted that the IE team has made over 200 behavior choices under strict mode, aimed at improving CSS 2.1 compliance.
Ultimately, though, Microsoft is placing some of the burden of compliance back on developers:
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.
A variety of tools and documentation has been placed online to aid developers with those compliance issues.
They include the IE 7 Readiness Toolkit and the Cascading Style Sheet Compatibility in Internet Explorer 7 documentation, along with other items.
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David Utter is a staff writer for Murdok covering technology and business.
