IE 8 Standards of Compliance

For IE 8, Microsoft rebuilt its browser to be complaint with CSS 2.1 standards.

In 2008, there was some debate, even within Microsoft, about whether or not Microsoft's Internet Explorer 8, or IE 8, would comply with Web standards. In 2007, Opera Software even tried to force the issue by filing an antitrust complaint with the European Union. Ultimately, Microsoft opted to make the browser compliant with standards.

Standards

Web standards are not a matter of law. They are created so that a Web page will look the same on one Web browser as it does on all other browsers. The hope is that this will spare Web designers from having to make multiple versions of each page.

Microsoft

Microsoft, through several versions of IE, did not come fully into compliance with Web standards. This meant that pages could look different in IE than they would with other Web browsers. This forced a choice on designers of choosing between IE's standards and Web standards.

IE 8

After originally stating that IE 8 would not be complaint with Web standards, Microsoft ultimately relented. A link to a list of specific changes in how IE 8 handles various Web design tags can be found in the Resources section.

References

• Arstechnica: Sanity prevails: IE8 will default to standard-compliant mode by Peter Bright, March 2008
• Web Standards: IE 8 has arrived
• IE Blog: Microsoft's Interoperability Principles and IE8
• Opera Software: Opera files antitrust complaint with the EU, October, 2007

Resources

• Microsoft: Standards Compliance Updates in Internet Explorer 8