IE8 and Safari 4, the Next Wave
March 16th, 2009 - Web DevelopmentComments (0)
The next step in browser evolution is almost here, and it’s bringing good news for developers!
As IE8 RC1 and Safari 4 Beta emerge on the scene it finally seems like web developers are getting some attention from all the major players. Both browsers are now offering developer tools that feature similar capabilities to Firebug, among other exciting improvements.
They also implement performance improvements for both JavaScript and HTML processing, and build upon the standards friendly trend that has been sweeping modern browsers, and easing the lives of developers.
Internet Explorer 8
Likely the most exciting news is how the IE development team has stepped up to try and offer a more standards aware browser.
One of the largest thorns in the side of modern development is the IE6 browser, due to differing interpretations for various elements, as well as lack of support for several features. Though IE7 brought many improvements, and converted some users, IE6 still remains the browser of choice for a not insignificant audience. Some have opted to disregard this audience, but others have not been so fortunate to have the option. Hopefully, with the release of IE8, this final lingering element will fade away, and developers can breath a collective sigh of relief.
Through the IE Blog the IE dev team has been interacting with the community leading up to the release, offering up tidbits of information and features here and there. It looks promising and I’m glad they have taken the time to listen to some of the grievances aired by the community.
It looks like we will still be needing conditional comments for some time to come, but at least steps are being taken in the right direction.
Safari 4
Not too much has changed for developers in Safari 4 beyond the addition of the developers toolkit and improved JavaScript and HTML performance. The new browser introduces cover flow to site history and bookmarks, tweaks tab functionality and placement, and adds a “Top Sites” section similar to the Opera implementation of Speed Dial. Also, when using Safari 4 on windows it will not look so out of place with the Mac OS X styling as it now adopts a native Windows theme.
CSS support remains top notch, and it’s good to see improved integration for Windows users.
The Future
The good news for developers is that it seems across the board browsers are adopting a more standards friendly approach in their development. CSS2, CSS3 and HTML 5 support is improved with each iteration and it seems just over the horizon where cross browser compatibility issues will be a thing of the past. We can only hope.
Resources
CSS browser support
IE8 developer tools
Safari 4 developer tools