A couple of days ago at vitamin.com Simon Griffin posted an article about websites that break on the new Internet Explorer version 7.
He made an extensive research through the websites of 100 companies on the FTSE 100 Index in order to see the differences between visualization on Internet Explorer version 6 and version 7.

Bottom line conclusion of his research is that on average, the more standard compliant the website is, the more faulty the visualization on Internet Explorer 7 is.
Before some dull-minded shmuck start thinking that this is some sort of anti standard compliance advocacy, read the following from the article:

The point we were trying to make (no doubt inarticulately) was that many of the sites we’ve studied make only the most basic use of CSS. They largely restrict themselves to styles from the CSS1.0 portfolio, and often use out-dated markup like font tags and antiquated design techniques like nested tables for layout. The net result of this is that they throw IE7 into quirks mode and, as IE7’s quirks mode is largely identical to IE6’s quirks mode, they see little difference in the way that the two browsers present their pages.

My interest in this article though, is not really about the results of the study or the advices on how to make a website look ok in IE7 too.

In my old article Microsoft and Internet Explorer 7 I already pointed out my frustration toward optimism and positivity around this new IE7.
This article by Simon Griffin indeed, still points at understanding why and finding ways to remedy to Internet Explorer flaws instead of standing against it and its flaws.
Attention, I don’t mean to blame or criticize Simon for his indeed interesting research, but I truly don’t understand why they (influential web designers and developers) keep being cool instead of starting a revolution.

Today we have two to four (at least) different versions of Internet Explorer to deal with, each one with its own hacks. Microsoft has shown no interest whatsoever in adhering to Standards and I hope no one is fooled by the cheap enhancements of IE7. All major browsers are quite updated and working hard to be everyday better and more standard compliant, Microsoft’s browser is instead still pulling the handbrake to the web.

And what shall we do when Microsoft will release Internet Explorer 7.5 or 8? We will hack for one or two more browsers?

Who if not you (influential web designers and developers) can stop this evil trend and force Microsoft to make a good browser or step off the plate?
I am sure that starting a revolution has costs, costs that professional everyday webdevelopers are not willing to pay.
But if Dave Shea or Roger Johansson (just to name a few) and all the authors at vitamin.com start preaching to boycott Internet Explorers as much as they preach (may they be blessed for their efforts) and advocate for Web Standards, sooner or later people will listen, and will start to understand.

How much time wasted on cross-browser compatibility issues because of Internet Explorer flaws? How many interesting CSS features are still in the box because IEx does not support them? How many of you web developer working on operating systems different from Windows are using two computer side by side to test (and get mad) on Internet Explorers?

All these energies and resources wasted because the largest Operating System producer still feeds their little sheeps with IE and they keep using it.
Let them find a style-free website and they will switch to another browser so that Microsoft will have to make a good browser!

Unless YOU (influential web designers and developer) start this revolution, all webdeveloper will still be wasting time on Internet Explorers.