Microsoft stated two years ago that support for Internet Explorer for Mac would end in 2005. It has finally been two years. Two very long and painful years if you ask me.
In a note posted to Microsoft's Mactopia Web site, "Microsoft will end support for Internet Explorer for Mac on December 31st, 2005, and will provide no further security or performance updates." This is already the case, but only unofficially. They will also pull downloads of IE for Mac as of January 31st, 2006.
Microsoft also suggests to use "more recent web browsing technologies such as Apple's Safari." Yes folks, that is Microsoft telling their (still loyal) IE for Mac users to switch to Apple's more recent Safari.
This is great news, although a bit too late. As of 2003, IE for Mac has been a lame duck. And seeing as Safari has been the default browser since Mac OS X v10.3, I think IE for Mac users should maybe give Safari a spin. By now Safari is past its "infant" stage. It has become a very robust and capable browser. If you are feeling even more adventurous I might suggest Firefox as well.
Both Safari and Firefox have something that IE for Mac has not had. That is standards compliance. This is why I say it has been a painful two years since Microsoft first announced it would be giving IE for Mac the axe. Web pages do not render properly in IE for Mac because that program does not adhere to the standards put forth by the World Wide Web Consortium.
Now that does not mean that IE for Windows, Safari, or Firefox are 100% compliant, but they will give you a truer representation of what the designer/developer intended you to see.
Having to write code for one specific browser (IE for Mac) is a royal pain. And now I can officially stop doing that too.
Oddly enough, at the end of that post on Mactopia, it says "Find out how Internet Explorer 5 for Mac can show you the Internet in new, exciting ways."
Comments (1)
That's funny. But not really.
Posted by Mr. Ignition | December 22, 2005 10:18 AM
Posted on December 22, 2005 10:18