Comments on: Version Targeting: Defaulting to the Past to Spite the Future? http://anendlessarray.com/blog1/2008/01/23/version-targeting-defaulting-to-the-past-to-spite-the-future/ Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:11:03 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: Microsoft Sees the Future: Support for Standards by Default » http://anendlessarray.com/blog1/2008/01/23/version-targeting-defaulting-to-the-past-to-spite-the-future/#comment-13024 Microsoft Sees the Future: Support for Standards by Default » Sun, 16 Mar 2008 23:23:48 +0000 http://anendlessarray.com/blog1/2008/01/23/version-targeting-defaulting-to-the-past-to-spite-the-future/#comment-13024 [...] my views expressed in Version Targeting: Defaulting to the Past to Spite the Future? were primarily favorable of the new technique, I expressed my concerns with Microsoft’s [...] [...] my views expressed in Version Targeting: Defaulting to the Past to Spite the Future? were primarily favorable of the new technique, I expressed my concerns with Microsoft’s [...]

]]> By: Jeremy Anderson http://anendlessarray.com/blog1/2008/01/23/version-targeting-defaulting-to-the-past-to-spite-the-future/#comment-9770 Jeremy Anderson Tue, 05 Feb 2008 06:05:05 +0000 http://anendlessarray.com/blog1/2008/01/23/version-targeting-defaulting-to-the-past-to-spite-the-future/#comment-9770 You raise some good points. It's a complicated matter and I can see both sides of the argument. I especially relate to Jeffrey Zeldman's concerns about derailing the web standards movement. I don't like the smell of anything proprietary, and Microsoft's version targeting has that stink about it. But it really isn't. Making a smooth transition is exactly what they need to do. And, if version targeting works as it should, it becomes a very useful tool for developers to quickly assess compatibility issues. That would be a much preferred alternative to hunting for back version clones. The one concern I do have, and maybe this is residual distrust in Microsoft, is the fact that they encourage other browser makers to follow suit. This make no sense to me. Let IE provide a compromise to make up for their lack of foresight. Let the others push them forward in developing to standards. Maybe that's just me. You raise some good points. It’s a complicated matter and I can see both sides of the argument. I especially relate to Jeffrey Zeldman’s concerns about derailing the web standards movement.

I don’t like the smell of anything proprietary, and Microsoft’s version targeting has that stink about it. But it really isn’t. Making a smooth transition is exactly what they need to do. And, if version targeting works as it should, it becomes a very useful tool for developers to quickly assess compatibility issues. That would be a much preferred alternative to hunting for back version clones.

The one concern I do have, and maybe this is residual distrust in Microsoft, is the fact that they encourage other browser makers to follow suit. This make no sense to me. Let IE provide a compromise to make up for their lack of foresight. Let the others push them forward in developing to standards. Maybe that’s just me.

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