Firefox First: A Browser Trend?
Posted by: Stephen Wildstrom on September 9, 2008
At least two of the Web-based services launching at DEMOfall 2008 are launching first in Firefox-only versions, with Internet Explorer support to come later. Giftag, an online gift registry from Best Buy, and SpinSpotter, an odd Firefox add-in that purports to detect spin or bias in on;line reporting, both are starting off on the Mozilla browser.
There are probably two reasons for this. One is that to the extent a service must be browser-specific, Firefox is a good bet because it gives instant Windows and Mac compatibility. probably more important, Microsoft has made it clear that the days of IE 7 and its many standards-defying quirks are numbered. Internet Explorer 8, now in beta testing, is far more standards compliant and actually includes a special compatibility mode so that it can properly display pages designed to capitalize on IE 7s oddities. With IE 8 in the offing, deseigning for IE 7 is probably not the best use of a developer’s time.
