The following are my panel notes from @media2006. As I am not the fastest typer I have paraphrased what was said. Should you notice any mistakes please do point them out in the comments for corrections.
Browser guy since 1993
NCSA mosaic for windows
Internet Explorer since 2.0
Web Standards guy: HTML CSS DOM etc.
Internet Explorer 7
We wanted an amazing user experience.
Secure and trustworthy browsing
Powerful web developer platform
Streamlined UI tabbs extensible search
integrated RSS
Great default preint experience
page zoon
Opensearch 1.1
Moves the webpage search into the UI Script API or use a link. This will make the dropdown light-up and add the sites search in the dropdown.
more detail on the IE blog
RSS feed discovery. We do a default feed view
We provide a common platform to provide a feedlist, storage, parser, sync engine
API from win32 and .net framework
List extensions to RSS. This allows you to have non-time dependant feeds.
http://blogs.msdn.com/rssteam/
Secure and trustworthy browsing.
Protection against web fraud
Full user control over add-ons.
Protectionagainst malicious software
Anti-Web-fraud features:
Anti phising service
User experience highlights security
Integration of parental controls for vista.
Explicit user consent is required on nfirst run of unused installed ActiveX controls. You'll be asked the first time you use an activex control you haven't used before.
Hackers aren't looking just to cause trouble any more they are looking to get paid. They will install malicious software that will track you collect your user data etc.
Protected more in vista
eliminates silent install of protected code.
Runngin IE with full privleges means it's easy to get malicious software on teh system
Protected mode sandboxes IE so that you have to ask permission to install software on IE instead of just doing it. IE is the "least privlieged" and can only write temporary internet files.
Powerful Web Dev Platform:
Fixing the top problems.
we listend to your feedback. Requests on IE Blog newsgroupd conferences Meyerweb, PIE, Quirksmode. The Web Standards Project.
Our focus us folks hwo need to make a living.
we've fixed teh top pain points
We've fixed every Ie bug on positiong is everything except for one floats bug
Overflow behaviour now fixed. IE6 used to grow the boxes even if not asked. FIXED
hover works on every element.
Backgroudn attachment: fixed on all elements
Improved object fallback
Fixed positioning
min/max width
Alpha channel support
native XMLHTTORequest no active X
Select element now windowless! (SJC: Yay no need to hide them any more)
Better standards Suuport means some pages break.
To deal with this quirksmode stays the same. Platform changes are only in strict-mode.
This is where you come in. We need sites to be standards compliant. There are big sites out there that don't look good in IE 7 we need your help on this.
User Agent strings use >= not =
Overflow use min-height/width or correct box size.
<?xml?> prolog doesn't prevent strict mode.
Rely on parser bugs and/or not yet implemented
- html (IE)
_height:5px (IE) .... etc
Ideally no workarounds are needed. But reality intrudes.
If you use CSS hacks only target already obseleted Uas.
Use conditional comments to target browser versions.
IE7 readiness toolkit
Web developer toolbar IE6+
Expression Finder identifies CSS hacks
Application compatibility Toolkit
Fiddler HTTP monitor
and other tools
http://blogs.msdn.com/ie/archive/2006/04/24/582546.aspx
The Future of Internet Explorer
Yes IE has a future
We're planningn the next two releases now
Continuing to put the user in control of their security and privacy.
Building on and improving and adding the the pwerful standards based platform
Provide the best web usert experience. This is our charter.
IE Beyond IE7 - the FAQ
Q: When is IE7 shipping?
A: Second half of 2006
Q: Side by side versions of IE
A: Technically hard - IE provides the OS web platform. We've heard the request for site testing and we're actively working on it.
IE used to be just one big .exe file
Q: Why not XHTML?
A: Not until we can do it right - wellformed-ness-testing parser, integrating multiple schema, etc We will support this in the future.
Q: Acid 2?
A: In the future, yes; but not all features and bugs sorted to the the list in IE7
What's next for the web?
The mash-up development pattern will continue to grow. e.g. Chicago Crime. Crime database linked to google maps to see where the crimes has happened by location. There are loads of components and data sources that can be mashed together to creat great applications.
RSS will help stimulate that growth. It's a great way to pass data around.
Semantic tagging of data. Microformats is helping to stimulate that. LiveClipboard stuff is a good example.
More capabilites will become standardised. XMLHTTPRequest for example. Need application semantics not just pages. XHR originally created by MS for outlook.
The interoperable platform will grow.
Key takaways - Call to Action
Please prepare your pages to be ready for IE 7
We are dependent on each other. end users don't like broken pages.
Make sure if you use activeX or BHos make sure youa re preppared for opt-in and protected mode.
RSSify your site.
Use the OpenSearch for search exposure
Communioty resources:
IE dev center
http://msdn.microsoft.com/ie
....
Discussion:
Q: First off credit where credit is due. I'm please about the work on IE7. Asking the user for permission, the user just clicks ok. e.g do you want to send your bank details after the 29th ok box. The user presses ok. Isn't that problem.
A: We are trying to avoid that problem. If you get a site security cert that doesn't match the site. We showed the box. Now we navigate away from this site. Give options to report it or go ahead and use the site. This is one of the biggest problems expecially with cross-domain ajax etc.
Q: When IE 7 is launched. Will it be sent through windows update so that users don't have the choice?
A: No we can't force people to install it. We get in trouble for forcing people to install things (laughter).
Q: You said that it was a bad day when IE changed from a single .exe. How do you feel about it taking a long time to ship IE7
A: honestly I'm frustrated the team's done a lot of good work. On the other hand there's a lot of reasons why it takes so long...
Q: Going forward what are the plans for DOM support
A: IE 7 focuses mainly on CSS. DOM stuff is harder because it would break application built on IE. There will be more javascript changes in future releases.
Q: Vista stops apps acting as administrator how will this affect things?
A: apps will break. There are applications that are doing things that they shouldn't. We are working with developers on this.
Q: Stats can be misleading and it would seem that IE share has been on the slide. This forces people to look beyond IE. If IE 7 results in increased market share what assurance can you give that you won't go off on holiday again.
A: I can't give any assuarance as I'm not Bill Gates. I feel very strongly about this. The next time we do this I'm heading for the beach. We won the browser war because we had a better product. Now there are more solid browsers out there. Competition is good for microsoft. From a professional stand point, Bill Gates and co have stated that they realised it was a mistake to cease development on IE.
Q: What do you think about WhatWG and will you adopt their standards
A: They've done som interesting stuff. I'm not comfortable about the way they're working. All of the stuff they've set out to do, I thing that we'll be adopting a lot of that. That isn't saying that they're dumb but I'm we can pull that into the W3c where we can all deal with that.
Q: Should we discourage people to support previous versions of IE. And what will be fixed by IE7 final version.
A: Last questionfirst: Honestly very very similar. We are not adding new features. We are layout complete unless it's a regression bug. We state support Ie versions for seven years. If you want to support them then that's ok but it will take you longer.