Almost Standards Mode still needed?

This is probably the wrong place to discuss this 'issue', since HTML 5 
is very concerned about backwards-compatibility. But maybe the 
discussion will bring forth some fruit.

While reading the article 'Introducing Compatibility View' [1] in a 
magazine discussing Internet Explorer 8, I found out, that IE8 will 
include an Almost Standards Mode, like the other engines do. That is, 
there'll be no 'mysterious gaps' under images in tables.

I'd like to know what you think about this. I personally think, that 
this step is going to leave alone the chance of removing Almost 
Standards Mode.

* First, the image gaps are easily solved by simple CSS. So I don't 
think a workaround provided by the browser is necessary.
* This is also very inconsequent by Microsoft themselves. Sites that 
will go from IE7 Standards Mode to IE8 Standards Mode unmodified will 
encounter many problems in their layout, gaps beyond images are one the 
smallest problems. Is this really something we want for backwards-compat?
* Most importantly, I thought if IE won't include an Almost Standards 
Mode, the other vendors could remove their Almost Standards Mode as well 
for their next release.

Of course, these arguments are the ones I provided Microsoft in their 
Connect Bug Database [2], but they don't seem to agree.

So my question is, are we really still in need of Almost Standards Mode?

Best regards

[1] 
http://blogs.msdn.com/ie/archive/2008/10/30/hot-off-the-press-codefocus-on-ie8.aspx 
(you need to read the article in the PDF, the website doesn't contain 
this information.)
[2] 
https://connect.microsoft.com/IE/feedback/ViewFeedback.aspx?FeedbackID=379343

Received on Saturday, 8 November 2008 07:00:43 UTC