Doug Pace Executive Vice President and COO

 

Recently (March 19, 2009) Microsoft upgraded their Internet Browser Internet Explorer to version 8 sending the interactive community into frenzy.  Web sites had to be tested for compatibility, potential issues needed to be identified, and enhancements needed to be scheduled for deployment.  One would think the Microsoft would just publish a bulletin outlining some of the most common compatibility issues seen when deploying the new browsers, but they tend to focus on the new features and functionality.

In researching Internet Explorer 8 we have found that it receives mixed reviews.  Although many people are pleased with the browsers new functionality, many are negatively influenced by having their favorite sites not working correctly.  InformationWeek recently reported a decline in the browsers market share from 2.59% on March 19th to 1.86% on March 22nd.  The decline was thought to be attributed to the browsers compatibility issues resulting in users switching back to a more reliable platform. 

In an effort to assist users and Web developers alike we have identified some of the most common compatibility issues.

Popular IE8 Issues

• Rendering Engine is Too Good – One problem with IE 8 is that it is very good at rendering code. Although this may not seem like a problem, many websites make use of conditional formatting tags or hacks to create workarounds for previous versions of Internet Explorer. These now conflict with IE 8, resulting in layout errors.

• Menu White Issue – If you are using the ASP.NET Menu control, you may encounter an issue where the menu appears as a white box in IE8 Standards Mode.  This issue has been reported multiple times and what IE8 is doing is actually correct. IE 8 is following the standards and (element).currentStyle.zIndex returns “auto” in Standards mode when zindex has not been set. The ASP.NET Menu control assumes a different value.