Many web developers breathed a sigh of relief yesterday, myself included, when Microsoft announced that the new version of Internet Explorer would adhere to current web standards by default. Originally, the idea was to make IE8 more backward-compatible, using IE7's "standards" mode by default, and forcing web programmers who wanted to use IE8's "standards" mode to specify that in a page's HTML code. With yesterday's decision, IE8 will default instead to its own "standards" mode.

Why is this important? Doesn't it mean a lot of work to update and add code to older web pages? Probably. All current browsers have two main rendering modes: "quirks" and "standards." When a browser is asked to load a web page that requests a current DOCTYPE in its code, the browser uses its own standards mode to render the page. Older or improperly-formed web pages, that either reference older standards or have no specific reference to a standard, are rendered using "quirks" mode, where the browser tries to emulate an older version in order to display the page.

The problem is standards change over time, as new technology creates needs for browsers to handle content they didn't need to before. Plus each browser has its own way of implementing "standards," so you can see the dilemma web developers are faced with when creating web pages.

When Microsoft released IE7 in October 2006, some web pages that had rendered correctly in IE6 looked bad in the new browser. This was due to changes in the "standards" mode between the two versions, which also exposed some workarounds developers had used during the five years IE6 was the dominant Windows-based browser to get it to render certain objects properly. One example was the incomplete support for alpha-channel transparency in PNG images in IE6 and earlier. Developers had to use code that determined which version of which browser the site visitor was using, and apply a workaround if IE6 or earlier was detected.

When three out of four computer users are viewing web pages in a browser made by Microsoft, whatever decision Microsoft makes carries a lot of weight. Microsoft's original decision to set IE7 "standards" by default, while understandable from a compatibility standpoint, would have crippled future development of web technology by tying standards to the older, IE7-era.

Dean Hachamovich, Microsoft's General Manager for Internet Explorer, summarized the company's decision this way:

"Long term, we believe this is the right thing for the web. Shorter term, leading up not just to IE8’s release but broader IE8 adoption, this choice creates a clear call to action to site developers to make sure their web content works well in IE."

It may mean some short-term pain for web developers who have to upgrade older pages, but Microsoft's announcement yesterday that IE8 will embrace current web standards by default, whether prompted by pending litigation or a newfound love of open standards, means the future development of the web will be looking forward instead of backward. In the long run, that's good for both users and web professionals.

Alternative browsers Firefox and Safari continued to slowly erode Internet Explorer's market share in January, with Firefox now holding just under 17 percent of the browser usage and Safari nearing six percent, according to the latest data from Market Share by NetApplications. Of course, this still means that Microsoft's market leader is used by three out of every four internet users, and at the current rate of decline, about three percentage points a year, it would be 2016 before it lost its majority status.

Naturally, by 2016 we'll all have brain implants to directly surf the entire contents of the GoogleNet, so it's silly to consider a world where Internet Explorer isn't the dominant browser for the short term.

After hitting a peak of 0.65% in November, Opera (the myNetworkTV of browsers) dropped to a 0.62% share in January.

Other interesting data from January showed Windows XP holding 75.07% of the operating system market, followed by Windows Vista at 11.96% (over a year since its introduction), MacOS at 7.57%, Windows 2000 at 2.71% (and you thought the XP holdouts were hardcore), and Linux variants at just 0.67%.

As always, I recommend Firefox with the NoScript add-on for a safer browsing experience, but regardless of your browser choice, make sure it's completely up to date with all patches, including updating any plug-ins or add-ons such as Java, Flash or Silverlight.