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Does Your Blog Look Great In Internet Explorer 8?

Does Your Blog Look Great In Internet Explorer 8?

The future is clear. The future is here. But is it something that bloggers need to fear?

The new Internet Explorer browser is out, after being highlighted at the Microsoft Mix Keynote event over in Las Vegas.

While the beta browser is not recommended for the masses, geeks and bloggers (or both) will probably want to install it on their machine in order to see if their site passes the “beauty test” (translation: does IE8 make my blog look fat ugly?).

After downloading the browser (which is only for Vista and Windows XP users) I noticed that the beta browser had different effects on different blogs.

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  • On my first blog internet explorer 8 actually fixed an error that kept popping up in the previous version, and aside from a simple cosmetic error (which I can fix on my end) IE8 actually improved the overall layout of the weblog.
  • On the second blog I found another cosmetic error (IE8 “bumped” the site up) although overall the site looks as shiny as ever (at least when compared to Firefox).
  • On the third blog I discovered (to my horror) that IE8 stripped EVERY AD from the site, which means that I will have to do some serious coding in order to make the site “earn its keep” (although the overall layout was fine).
  • On blog number four IE8 consumed the sidebars, which saddened me as it took several hours of troubleshooting to make it compatible in all of the browsers (note: you just can’t win).

I have noticed similar problems with other blogs online, so it may be wise to download IE8 in order to see if your site passes with flying colors in order to determine whether or not you have to tap into your “inner geek” (or hire one out) in order to make sure your site will work with the masses (who still use IE).

View Comments (9)
  • I find it highly amusing that Microsoft has decided that, by default, IE8 will interpret web pages as if they conform to web standards.

    Let’s not forget that many decent web designers have been forced to write non-standard, bloated pages thanks to the likes of flawed version of IE (and yes, I know it’s not just Microsoft to blame).

    Of course, there are simply plenty of sloppy pages around, too.

    My hope is that, by writing web standards-compliant code (and relying on those developing WordPress to continue to do the same), my sites will continue to work in all browsers.

    It does sound concerning, though. I may well have to partition my Mac hard drive and install XP on it after all, just for the “privilege” of installing IE8. Bleugh.

  • Should I really care about that? The average user has IE6 still working in their computers and FF is growing like crazy… so I really take care about the browsers used by the 80% of my audience.. That’s why I have analytics after all!

  • I haven’t tried it yet, but I see no reason why it wouldn’t work. My theme only has one, maybe two IE hacks that shouldn’t affect the overall appearance at all. Will have to try it later and see though.

  • Wow, I didn’t even know there was an IE8. I only recently downloaded IE7. Like all new major versions of software I guess it’s best to wait. I’m learning that more and more these days with the new version of WordPress, with Windows Vista, and so forth.

  • To answer the question from the title: I don’t care. Nor I will when it come out. My blog goes with standards, if you cannot see it properly complain to Micro$oft, not me. And get a proper software.

  • Hopefully it will be much better than IE7. I used it for a while then went back to firefox.Lots to choose from now.

  • I wouldn’t put to much reliability on IE 8.0 just yet. It’s only a developers build and the rendering engine that runs the so-called “Super standards” mode (“strict” standards in other words) is only half finished with a lo0t of work to do yet. So what you may be interpreting as problems with the way your site behaves or looks could very well be caused by what basically amounts to a very unfinished browser. If IE 8.0, when finished, actually conforms to web standards then any site that renders properly in Firefox or Opera will render correctly in IE 8.0.

    Whatever you do, don’t take what you see to seriously until at least a beta 2 is released.

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