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Microsoft had originally planned to use Internet Explorer 7's Standards mode as the default in its soon-to-be-launched browser, but has had a change of heart following its recent interoperability pledge.

"IE8 has been significantly enhanced, and was designed with great support for current internet standards," claims Ray Ozzie, Microsoft chief software architect. "This is evidenced by the fact that even in its first beta, IE8 correctly renders the popular test known as 'Acid2', which was created by the web community to promote real-world interoperability."

"Our initial plan had been to use IE7-compatible behaviour as the default setting for IE8, to minimise potential impact on the world's existing websites. We have now decided to make our most current standards-based mode the default in IE8."

So what does this mean for sites tailored specifically for Internet Explorer 7? "This is obviously a complex issue, with important considerations on both sides," Ozzie adds. "On one hand, there are literally billions of web

"On the other hand, there is a concrete benefit to web designers if all vendors give priority to interoperability around commonly accepted standards as they evolve.

"After weighing these very legitimate concerns, we have decided to give top priority to support for these new web standards. We will work with content publishers to ensure they fully understand the steps we are taking and will encourage them to use this beta period to update their sites to transition to the more current web standards supported by IE8."

Site owners who don't want to redesign their pages will be able to request that IE8 adopts IE7's Standards mode by adding a meta tag to their pages, according to the Internet Explorer blog.

The move not only marks the end of Microsoft attempting to impose its own standards on the web, but is also a growing reflection that Internet Explorer is not the dominant force it once was. Firefox now has as much as 30% market share in some countries, weakening Microsoft chances of successfully dictating the way websites should look.

The company is also facing further regulatory pressure in Europe, following Opera's complaint to the EU that Microsoft's bundling of Internet Explorer with Windows is an abuse of a monopoly, and hinders interoperability by not following accepted web standards.