Scott Finnie at Computerworld has got it right – “IE7 has no soul”. And why should it have any. Bill Gates introduces it at Mix06 with a one line “mea culpa” for not just not updating IE for close to seven years but also for stalling all other desktop Web development as well. “Ooops I am sorry I poisoned the well of Web development for who knows how long – Jim do you ? But hell what is a little Kool Aid Web Poison pill among us developers and hardcore coders – NO BIG DEAL”. Now clearly Big Bill did not say these quoted thing-stringss out loud – but his one line “mea culpa” and associated actions might have mind-yelled them louder to the rafters than Steve Ballmer cursing “Developers Developers Developers” who go over to the Google persuasion.
So imagine being an IE7 developer. No good ideas wanted. Just safe thinking, carefully crafted Microsoft-speak, and a pile of excuses a mile wide for why IE7 will not be able to implement the 1997-promised HTML, CSS, DOM and JavaScript standards which every other browser in the marketplace has delivered. Imagine being on this IE7 BeReamed Team – do they get Donny-boy-from-DOD self-low-thing pay ? Or may the IE7 guys and gals just love yanking yet again Web developers chains.
I suspect not – and Scot Finnie has the evidence.
(c)JBSurveyer 2006