You stay classy, Microsoft
Microsoft is using an ad online featuring a woman projectile vomiting from seeing something in her significant other’s browsing history to market Internet Explorer 8. They’re promoting the new private browsing feature, hosted by TV’s former Superman, Dean Cain. Yep, it’s real. I wish I was kidding: http://mashable.com/2009/07/01/ie-vomiting/
Another example of Microsoft’s horrendously awful marketing lately. Apple uses Justin Long and John Hodgman. Fun and clever. Microsoft uses bullshit laptop buyers in a Best Buy going for cheap instead of quality, and now, projectile vomiting.
Ironically, it’s how I feel when writing CSS bug fixes for IE6.
What will we see from them to market Windows 7? Someone with a stomach virus and diarrhea thanks to a lesser operating system? I can’t wait.
Safari 4 supports HTML 5 features and CSS 3
No longer in Beta.
http://www.apple.com/safari/what-is.html
Nice to see advanced web design/development feature support. It’s nice to see a major computer company pushing innovation on the web.
The browser wars wage on.
Apple’s blind spot
The Mighty Mouse is just not up to par with the rest of Apple’s hardware design quality. The scroll ball is constantly glitchy, the glossy plastic is not great for precise, non-slip mousing and an old supervisor showed me that Logitech seems to create mice way better. I would love to see this quirky thing replaced before Steve Jobs announces the new iPhone models next week.
Internet Explorer 6 is a jalopy
Internet Explorer 6 is the most widely used browser from a Dark Age of stifled innovation, but as of April 09, 17.52% of surfers are still using it. How far down the Information Superhighway will these users need to be before they brake down and finally enjoy the free upgrade to 2006’s version 7 (or even better, IE8)? Not long, apparently. Microsoft has lost a lot of ground, and the future does not look bright for the browser once brought to you at gunpoint. The browser options are becoming more diverse by the year.
I’ve been asked why I haven’t fixed some issues with my site that come up in IE6. I’ve decided that, while I could (and maybe should), I’d like to encourage an IE6 user who checks out this site to come enjoy the tastiness of tabbed browsing and more web standards compliance. Experience the web applications that will change your future, like Gmail and Mobile Me, with unique features made possible by new browsers.
And that’s where cars differ from web browsers. While some classic cars can still be restored and have an elegant beauty and design, justifying a wave of nostalgia, few look back at old computer technology like 5.25″ and 3.5″ floppy drives, read-only CD-ROMs, and dial-up Internet access and think “Wow, I really want to go back there. It was better.”
Nope, those things are jalopies. Wikipedia states: “When a jalopy gets to a state in which its maintenance becomes too expensive, its owner would be required to make a decision about its fate.” IE6 is a resource-guzzling mess and should be retired as soon as possible. It’s becoming too time-consuming and expensive to justify resources used for hacks and fixes. We designers and developers have a responsibility to encourage its demise. Innovation depends on it. Let’s take the hand of IE6 users and pull them out of the Dark Ages.
Get Firefox, Safari, Opera, or at least Internet Explorer 8.
UPDATE: Probably the best solution on how to deal with IE6 style sheets that I’ve seen. I will adopt this method immediately, although I’ve kind of done that already by informing my clients that the site won’t match pixel-for-pixel in IE6. But I won’t ever leave them hanging on the functionality.
Tweaking the design
I’m switching up to a warmer color scheme and playing around with getting the lists to look just right in IE7 and IE8. I’m not going to spend time optimizing for IE6, because I’m not sure there is enough value in going through all the hacks required. Well, I’ll get to tweaking my IE6.css file, but it’s not a high priority.
I know IE6 still has a significant user base, but the likely reader of EvanWiener.com is the kind of web surfer that wouldn’t be caught dead using IE6, unless they’re forced to. And even if they are behind a corporate wall, if they’re a web professional, they most likely have access to a better browser.
Next up, new designs for headers and I’ll be designing my first iPhone Home Screen icon.
A designer’s job is never finished
But it is “done” for now. The flexibility of having an open source content managment system is really refreshing. Especially considering how easily it can be updated.
The iPhone WordPress app will really come in handy now.
Redesign time!
EvanWiener.com will be down for the weekend as I make some major upgrades to my portfolio site. There will be delicious Web 2.0 tech, as well as some del.icio.us links.
This will be fun. It’s long over-due.
