[Rob Alexander]

I am using IE 8 beta on my desktop and one of the things they say is new about it is that it is supposed to be 100% standards complient. That sounded good to me, but then, the only web pages I make are simple enough that which browser you use doesn't matter. Anyway, they give you this compatibility button in case a web page doesn't load correctly. If you press it while on a page, it will re-render the page as an older IE browser. Then it remembers that site and uses compatibility mode from then on. The funny thing is that I have had to press that button on the majority of the sites I visit. I guess the web site asks what browser I'm using and sends me to the IE version. But since the new IE talks like everyone else now, the IE version doesn't work right... so I have to tell my browser to work wrong in order to get the page up. Only MS could put me here, making my browser work wrong so it will work right. Anyway, my take on it is that we should dump non-standard browsers altogether and that include mobile browsers like the IE 6 they're working on.

[Rob Alexander]

I am using IE 8 beta on my desktop and one of the things they say is new about it is that it is supposed to be 100% standards complient. That sounded good to me, but then, the only web pages I make are simple enough that which browser you use doesn't matter. Anyway, they give you this compatibility button in case a web page doesn't load correctly. If you press it while on a page, it will re-render the page as an older IE browser. Then it remembers that site and uses compatibility mode from then on. The funny thing is that I have had to press that button on the majority of the sites I visit. I guess the web site asks what browser I'm using and sends me to the IE version. But since the new IE talks like everyone else now, the IE version doesn't work right... so I have to tell my browser to work wrong in order to get the page up. Only MS could put me here, making my browser work wrong so it will work right. Anyway, my take on it is that we should dump non-standard browsers altogether and that include mobile browsers like the IE 6 they're working on.

[Jason Dunn]

The excuse for why there wasn't a better browser included by default was always "We have to keep the ROM footprint small" but flash memory is *so* cheap now that Microsoft really needs to get out of that scarcity mentality and up their game in a *huge* way.

[possmann]

- that has been the consistent biggest challenge MS has had - period. The concept, dream, vision and start is great but somewhere along the line MS looses focus, cuts corners and fails to deliver a true user friendly experience time and time again. No where is this more evident that with the mobile device. Look at what HTC did - a whole new experience that "simplifies" launching applications and I could go one for days regarding what spb has done to help simplify the use of the device...
When it comes to browsers PIE is a bandaid at best. The concept was great initially because no one else was doing things like that - but now that everyone has evolved... MS looks like Palm did several years ago as they stand on the side of the highway watching all of these 3rd party apps and other OS vendors zoom by them with features that exceed MS capabilties (and performance) and MEET or come very close to meeting what the CONSUMER needs.
And this whole feature of being able to download patches or updates via the mobile OS - has anyone ever received anything from that just once? Talk about a huge miss for a great delivery vehicle to continue to feed improvements to the consumer base... BUt I suppose (in the US) the phone carriers are in the way (why oh why can't we just go to an ISP model with those guys?) But that is another subject.
Get back in the lead MS - time is NOT your friend and no where close to being on your side.

[haliv]

Have you guys tried the new Skyfire browser? Msft needs to learn from them