IE8 is coming

[Vectis]

So, are we all ready for IE8?

Now that it (allegedly) meets all standards, all those quirky little tricks written into our HTML and CSS to make things align properly across the browsers are going to stick out like a sore thumb in IE8 :mad:

Thankfully there's a compatibility button that users can click on to re-render the page in IE6 or IE7 mode but how many punters are going to know or care about this?

I've not started looking through my site yet but as IE8 is now in Beta 2 it won't be long before Microshaft force it on the public at large :eek:

Bye bye weekend! :o

[Jiggles]

Not even going to touch it! IE is rubbish.

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

And the most predictable reply of the day goes to.....

How can you say that when it's till being beta tested?

Oh, I know, it's the standard answer for Firefox/MAc users

[Dragonfly]

already been in the news for the wrong reasons this as apparently it contains a secrecy option to allow a user to surf whatever they like on the net without leaving any trace on the computer that is visible to other users.... being nicknamed "porn mode".

[djsteve10]

So long as IE7 works for me then it doesn't bother me :D

[Vectis]

Not even going to touch it! IE is rubbish.


So long as IE7 works for me then it doesn't bother me :D

I think you guys are missing the point.

Sure, YOU may well be happy with FF/Safari/IE6/IE7/Opera/Chrome/Whatever BUT in excess of 80% of the good computer-using people of this planet will be updated to IE8 by the Microshaft Corporation most of them without realising it.

Then, when they hit your website which is full of shims and workarounds to make it look good on the non-compliant IE5/IE6/IE7 it is going to look like a pile of poo.


I'm advising you to check your shop window, not download IE8 for personal use, and the time is now - because although it's Beta2 it's feature-complete.

[Jay]

I'm running IE8 right now as I type this message and dont think its that bad. There is a compatibility button when things don't line up right but I have only had to use it once, and that was for ebay.co.uk when the search text box only displayed one letter. but the button aint hard to miss. I aint used the secrecy thing but I think its meant for use on multi use computers, ie internet cafes etc....which is a good thing in my view as sometimes you dont want information left behind(credit card details etc...not porn lol) if say different people use the same pc.

[jeremy knight]

Hi I have just installed IE8 on my pc with windows vista, and it is even better
than IE7

[djsteve10]

Hi I have just installed IE8 on my pc with windows vista, and it is even better
than IE7

Just done the same, And it runs very well and alot better than IE7, Vectis I take back what I said :zip:

[markthedoc]

already been in the news for the wrong reasons this as apparently it contains a secrecy option to allow a user to surf whatever they like on the net without leaving any trace on the computer that is visible to other users.... being nicknamed "porn mode".

Reeeeeesult! :p

[A1DL]

So, are we all ready for IE8?


No. We still use IE6 on our desktops as W2K Application Server does not support IE7.

Would the benefits of IE7/8 outweigh the cost of upgrading that box to Server 2003 and buying new CALs? I doubt it.

[Vectis]

:bang: :bang: :bang: :bang: :bang: :bang: :bang: :bang: :bang: :bang: :bang: :bang: :bang: :bang: :bang: :bang: :bang: :bang: :bang: :bang: :bang: :bang: :bang: :bang: :bang: :bang: :bang: :bang: :bang: :bang: :bang: :bang: :bang:

You guys.... you are all missing the original point of this thread which was...

1. IE8 is in late beta and will be released soon
2. Punters with windows update enabled will have it thrust upon them
3. IE8 "does things differently". For one, it's meant to be standards-compliant whereas IE5,6 & 7 had their quirks and therefore HTML and CSS workarounds to ensure sites rendered approximately the same in different browsers.
4. CHECK YOUR OWN COMMERCIAL WEBSITES USING IE8 and make sure everything's as it should be BEFORE punters start using it in anger.

Hopefully this is now crystal clear :D

This is NOT a thread about the pros/cons of USING IE8 ... it's a heads-up that your customers soon will be ;)

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

I tried the beta and had lots of little problems, so uninstalled it.

[sleah]

already been in the news for the wrong reasons this as apparently it contains a secrecy option to allow a user to surf whatever they like on the net without leaving any trace on the computer that is visible to other users.... being nicknamed "porn mode".


Reeeeeesult! :p

It won't leave a trace on the local computer, which in many cases is a good thing, as mentioned previously.
However, your activity will still be being logged by your ISP, so it won't have any real impact on catching naughty people.
Where they access from isn't really relevent, it's what they are accessing and what they choose to download that matters and will still be just as traceable as it ever has been.

So don't worry about anyone "getting away with it" due to IE8 privacy (or whatever) mode.:)

[Corabar Entertainment]

4. CHECK YOUR OWN COMMERCIAL WEBSITES USING IE8 and make sure everything's as it should be BEFORE punters start using it in anger.What's the best way of doing that (if you don't want to up-date your computer to use it)?

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

What's the best way of doing that (if you don't want to up-date your computer to use it)?

Either get someone else to check or install and then uninstall IE8.

[soundtracker]

I've had a go, it removed some of my pictures, so it looks like I may need to make an adjustment or two!

[A1DL]

What's the best way of doing that (if you don't want to up-date your computer to use it)?

Morning Angela :p

I think most web developers do cross platform testing as a matter of course, and would be the first to have Beta versions of new platforms as they become available.

Our web stats show by percentage the various platforms used by site visitors, I'm aware our developer tests all our public areas and extranet modules on IE this, IE that, Linux, Oasis, Persil and others. I usually go and play teaboy when he starts talking about web platforms and standards...

Tony :)

[Vectis]

Personally I'm a Mac user and I have various virtual machines built to work in Parallels, so it's just a case of cloning a raw XP or Vista installation and adding IE8 to it.

Windows users can look at Virtual PC as a free way of achieving the same, but check the EULAs if you want to be 100% sure you're correctly licenced.

Or use a PC you don't mind trashing :o

[Andy Westcott]

...when they hit your website which is full of shims and workarounds to make it look good...

I think the real message here, and good advice all round, is to produce a web page which is 'standards compliant', and not to include dodgy bits of coding which may only work on one browser. Sites relying on JavaScript are one of my main dislikes.

Where websites are concerned, I always prefer to look at one which is simple in layout and easy to read - I detest multiple pointless images and silly animations, placed there as a result of some over-indulgent web designer, and long lists of links leading to short pages containing little extra information.

OK, I slept badly last night, alright??!

[rob1963]

Looks like I'll have to find out from my webhost whether IE8 is likely to cause problems for people viewing my site.

:bang:

[Andy Westcott]

Rob, they probably won't be able to tell you.

Find a friend who is running IE8 and view your page on their computer - that's got to be the simplest and easiest thing to do, unless you intend using IE8 yourself. :)

[rob1963]

Rob, they probably won't be able to tell you.

Find a friend who is running IE8 and view your page on their computer - that's got to be the simplest and easiest thing to do, unless you intend using IE8 yourself. :)

Thanks Andy...that makes sense.

I don't intend using IE8, although from what Vectis says, it will be thrust upon me anyway :(

[Vectis]

And whilst researching the matter I came across this little gem:

<meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=EmulateIE7" />

Which apparently instructs IE8 to run in 'compatibility mode' or in other words to pretend like it's IE7.

So a nice quick temporary workaround for anyone who falls foul of IE8
:beer1:

[Andy Westcott]

But why don't they just make the darned thing standards compliant in the first place??

W3C have been around a while now, so Microsoft have no excuse in this respect.

[Totally Plucked]

Firefox all the way

[JAMdisco]

Looks like I'll have to find out from my webhost whether IE8 is likely to cause problems for people viewing my site.

:bang:

Hi Rob,
Have just installed IE8 Beta and your site displays perfectly in both Beta mode and compatibility Mode.
Just thought I'd let you know to give you peace of mind :D

Ah, just noticed the :p is missing from my smilies :confused:

[Marc J]

Just to update this, now that IE8 is out of beta, you can install multiple version of IE using the "Internet Explorer Collection", see http://www.tothepc.com/archives/install-use-multiple-versions-of-internet-explorer/ which leads you to http://finalbuilds.edskes.net/iecollection.htm

This will install: -

Internet Explorer 1.0 (4.40.0.308)
Internet Explorer 1.5 (0.1.0.10)
Internet Explorer 2.01 (2.1.0.46)
Internet Explorer 3.0 (3.0.1152)
Internet Explorer 4.01 (4.72.3110.0)
Internet Explorer 5.01 (5.00.3314.2100)
Internet Explorer 5.5 (5.51.4807.2300)
Internet Explorer 6.0 (6.00.2800.1106)
Internet Explorer 7.0 (7.0.5730.13)
Internet Explorer 8.0 (8.0.6001.18241)

And it apparently works perfectly under Parallels on the Mac, too, so there's no reason for your sites not to render perfectly under IE1 now, VV :D

[markthedoc]

Just to update this, now that IE8 is out of beta, you can install multiple version of IE using the "Internet Explorer Collection", see http://www.tothepc.com/archives/install-use-multiple-versions-of-internet-explorer/ which leads you to http://finalbuilds.edskes.net/iecollection.htm

This will install: -

Internet Explorer 1.0 (4.40.0.308)
Internet Explorer 1.5 (0.1.0.10)
Internet Explorer 2.01 (2.1.0.46)
Internet Explorer 3.0 (3.0.1152)
Internet Explorer 4.01 (4.72.3110.0)
Internet Explorer 5.01 (5.00.3314.2100)
Internet Explorer 5.5 (5.51.4807.2300)
Internet Explorer 6.0 (6.00.2800.1106)
Internet Explorer 7.0 (7.0.5730.13)
Internet Explorer 8.0 (8.0.6001.18241)

And it apparently works perfectly under Parallels on the Mac, too, so there's no reason for your sites not to render perfectly under IE1 now, VV :D
Blimey didn't know about this.

Cheers :approve2:

[CRAZY K]

Just to update this, now that IE8 is out of beta, you can install multiple version of IE using the "Internet Explorer Collection", see http://www.tothepc.com/archives/install-use-multiple-versions-of-internet-explorer/ which leads you to http://finalbuilds.edskes.net/iecollection.htm

This will install: -

Internet Explorer 1.0 (4.40.0.308)
Internet Explorer 1.5 (0.1.0.10)
Internet Explorer 2.01 (2.1.0.46)
Internet Explorer 3.0 (3.0.1152)
Internet Explorer 4.01 (4.72.3110.0)
Internet Explorer 5.01 (5.00.3314.2100)
Internet Explorer 5.5 (5.51.4807.2300)
Internet Explorer 6.0 (6.00.2800.1106)
Internet Explorer 7.0 (7.0.5730.13)
Internet Explorer 8.0 (8.0.6001.18241)

And it apparently works perfectly under Parallels on the Mac, too, so there's no reason for your sites not to render perfectly under IE1 now, VV :D

So what does this mean in English Marc:D

A rough translation would be great;)

thanks

ALAN
CRAZY K

[Dynamic Entertainment]

IE1...now that will be a blast from the past :D

[Marc J]

So what does this mean in English Marc:D

A rough translation would be great;)

When developing a website it's good to test it on as many browsers as you can, to make sure visitors will see it as intended.

With IE7 installed it was possible to install a standalone version of IE6 (using either http://tredosoft.com/Multiple_IE or http://browsers.evolt.org/?/ie/32bit/standalone), but these broke with IE8.

This latest download means it is again possible to check your site(s) with older versions if Internet Explorer.