Well, yes and no...
OK, so what do I need to know? What's new?
To answer that we need to look at the differences between IE8 and previous versions of Internet Explorer.
We aren't going to focus so much on the new features such as the SmartScreen® filter which adds extra protection against malware, but more on the elements that directly affect the way a Web site is displayed. This is where problems can occur.
IE8 is now Web standards compliant
Firstly a brief explanation of Web standards and why they're important:
"Web Standards exist in an attempt to influence, not govern, how Web sites are developed."
Web standards are largely devised, published and promoted by the W3C. The W3C is an international consortium tasked with developing Web standards.
With the release of IE8, Microsoft has decided to adopt a very ‘standards compliant’ approach, with the new browser apparently providing full support for the latest industry Web standards and doing so by default.
Surely that's a good thing, what's the problem?
Whilst it's definitely good news that Internet Explorer 8 has embraced Web standards, the problem with this approach is that IE7 (and IE6 before it) didn’t provide such complete support. As a result, Web developers have historically built 'tweaks' into their Web site code to ensure that sites display and render correctly in IE6 and IE7.
With the release of IE8 and its strict adherence to Web standards, all these existing Web sites with 'fixes' for previous versions of IE will still contain these fixes and, ironically, in many cases may cause display problems in IE8 as a result.
So, will my site be affected? What can I do to fix it?
If your site was built within the last 12 - 18 months by a design agency that adheres to Web standards, your site probably won't look very different in IE8. You may find that bullet pointed lists sit closely together instead of spaced nicely apart, text may be misaligned and Web forms may look slightly different. But otherwise you shouldn't notice too many problems.
There is also a workaround. IE8 has an option known as "Compatibility View" to display Web sites in what is effectively an 'IE7 mode'. This should display any legacy Web sites as they currently display in IE7.
Compatibility View
By clicking the Compatibility View button next to the address bar (shown to the right), visitors to Web sites experiencing display problems in IE8 can revert to viewing them as they would in IE7.
Whilst this is useful in the short term there are disadvantages.
- It requires the visitor to click the button every time they come across a 'broken' site.
- It also gives older Web sites which didn't even display correctly in Internet Explorer 7 (and which use fixes or workarounds) a 'get out of jail free' card. This is likely to mean software developers such as Microsoft feel obliged to introduce similar options in future versions of their Web browsers.
At Zen Web Solutions we’ve pro-actively implemented changes to our Web server in line with Microsoft’s recommendations to ensure ‘maximum compatibility’ for existing Web sites. This, in essence, turns "Compatibility View" on for all Web sites hosted with us, the most practical 'instant fix' to ensure our customer Web sites appear as intended.
What if I'm experiencing major problems with my site in IE8?
So far we've not noticed any dramatic errors on Web sites we've tested in IE8, with most serious display problems occuring on sites built over 2 years ago.
If you’re experiencing display problems with your own Web site in IE8, or indeed in any of the more recent browsers (including Firefox 3, Google Chrome, Safari 4, Opera 9.6) then perhaps it’s time you talked to Zen Web Solutions.
Feel free to call us today (0845 058 9050) and chat with one of our consultants who'll be able to advise you on the best solution. Alternatively, fill out our contact form and somebody will get back to you.