With IE8 in our midst Microsoft have worked closely with web standards project team to ensure that this edition does not anger the worlds web developer like the previous family release did.

What is the difference?

IE8, unlike its brothers and sisters works based on a Web Standards Engine. Web Standards is the current trend for a high percentage of web developers working to make the web accessible.

What else is new?

The new Web Standards Compliant browser enables developers to code websites in a friendly environment and check it against Web 2.0 Standard compatibility. Microsoft have also given developers the edge with a brand new developer console. This console, embedded into IE8's framework allows developers to quickly open, edit and view the errors in the code with the click of a button.

Have Microsoft Changed Anything by Default and are there drawbacks?

YES, Like always with Microsoft wanting to be themselves they have enabled front page extensions by default this disabling functionality in LI and CSS menus. To prevent this read on.

Microsoft are also currently working on their own CSS styling which is to be announced later this year. Thus causing more problems. You guessed it, they are going to enable it by default.

NOTE: There are solutions to the above issues don't let them worry you!!!! read Below

Solutions to Above Problems

Because the Web Standard Project have noticed Microsoft are known for creating their own design and styling coding engines they have created a new Generic META tag for the world wide web.

This is Great News for all web developers who code their websites for a specific IE browser.

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VERSION INFORMATION:

If you code your website for only one version of IE for example IE6, and want it to view using that engine and styling in IE8 then you can add a simple line of code between your head tags which tells IE8 which engine to use for the duration of the viewing.

Add More Than Less Than Brackets

The Code:

meta http-equiv=X-UA-Compatible content=IE=6


If you have coded your websites for IE7 and want IE8 to view it with the same functionality and design as it does in IE7 then add the below line of code between your head tag.

The Code:

meta http-equiv=X-UA-Compatible content=IE=7

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NOTICE:

For the safety of your future websites please add the above lines of code into all future websites. Just to be on the safe side i would personally recommend editing past website templates or designs to add this code. This will help everyone in the near future

Yours,
George Botley

Hope This Helps