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Modern browsers share several things in common. If you're not a modern browser, then you're a legacy browser. Modern browsers have most of these: Super-fast J

Modern browsers share several things in common. If you're not a modern browser, then you're a legacy browser. Modern browsers have most of these: Super-fast JavaScript engines Hardware acceleration for graphics and text HTML audio and video elements and APIs SVG for vector graphics ForeignObject for bringing HTML into SVG HTML canvas element and API for 2D Some useful CSS 3 support like border radius, text shadow, transforms and transitions, etc. HTML History API WebGL for 3D graphics Web Workers Application Cache These are the features that let Web developers build a richer caliber of Web applications. IE 9 is a little bit short on some of these items, but I think it's got enough to qualify it as being part of the gang of Modern browsers. IE 8 has none of this. IE 8 was really not much more than IE7 with improved CSS 2.1 support, and IE7 wasn't much more than IE6 with tabbed browsing. So, yes, IE 8 is a legacy browser. It's the new IE6 -- the boat anchor around the necks of Web developers who want to move the Web forward. Even worse, Microsoft is leaving behind hundreds of millions of users who are currently running IE 7 and 8, saying that IE8 is the end of the road for Windows XP. It's pretty clear that Microsoft is making the big break with legacy between IE8 and IE9. 8 is the past, 9 is the present.

yuhong 15y ago
>IE 8 has none of this. IE 8 was really not much more than IE7 with improved CSS 2.1 support, and IE7 wasn't much more than IE6 with tabbed browsing. AFAIK from the bugs IE8's CSS code seems like a rewrite, while IE7's CSS code seems like hacks on top of IE6's CSS code.
Silhouette 15y ago
> Modern browsers have most of these: Well, modern browsers have some form of most of those, often different to the form in any other modern browser. HTML5 video is a great example. It's a nice idea, but as long as everyone is having childish arguments over which formats they're going to support, many of us who have to produce real world applications for real world users are still going to use Flash. (Sorry, Apple.) If and when the sorts of features you described are standardised such that web developers can write one version of their code and have a fair chance of it running on all modern browsers, then you'll have a case. Until then, I'm afraid it's just your personal, and inevitably biased, wish list. > These are the features that let Web developers build a richer caliber of Web applications. Can you give us some examples? > IE 8 has none of this. IE 8 was really not much more than IE7 with improved CSS 2.1 support, and IE7 wasn't much more than IE6 with tabbed browsing. Writing silly things like that makes you look rather foolish. For example, you've just defined "super-fast JavaScript engines" as a necessary criteria for a modern browser, and then immediately glossed over orders-of-magnitude improvements in real world JS performance between successive versions of IE. Of course faster JS engines are never going to do any harm, other things being equal, but IE8 runs JS fast enough to be useful.

yuhong 15y ago

>IE 8 has none of this. IE 8 was really not much more than IE7 with improved CSS 2.1 support, and IE7 wasn't much more than IE6 with tabbed browsing. AFAIK from the bugs IE8's CSS code seems like a rewrite, while IE7's CSS code seems like hacks on top of IE6's CSS code.

Silhouette 15y ago

> Modern browsers have most of these: Well, modern browsers have some form of most of those, often different to the form in any other modern browser. HTML5 video is a great example. It's a nice idea, but as long as everyone is having childish arguments over which formats they're going to support, many of us who have to produce real world applications for real world users are still going to use Flash. (Sorry, Apple.) If and when the sorts of features you described are standardised such that web developers can write one version of their code and have a fair chance of it running on all modern browsers, then you'll have a case. Until then, I'm afraid it's just your personal, and inevitably biased, wish list. > These are the features that let Web developers build a richer caliber of Web applications. Can you give us some examples? > IE 8 has none of this. IE 8 was really not much more than IE7 with improved CSS 2.1 support, and IE7 wasn't much more than IE6 with tabbed browsing. Writing silly things like that makes you look rather foolish. For example, you've just defined "super-fast JavaScript engines" as a necessary criteria for a modern browser, and then immediately glossed over orders-of-magnitude improvements in real world JS performance between successive versions of IE. Of course faster JS engines are never going to do any harm, other things being equal, but IE8 runs JS fast enough to be useful.