Boycotting IE7

A tech journalist named Paul Thurrott (who, I'll admit, I don't think I've ever heard of), is calling for a boycott of Microsoft's Internet Explorer 7 after key developers admitted that IE7, in its final form, still won't pass the Acid2 CSS standards test put forward by the Web Standards Project. From his article:

My advice is simple: Boycott IE. It's a cancer on the Web that must be stopped. IE isn't secure and isn't standards-compliant, which makes it unworkable both for end users and Web content creators. Because of their user bases, however, Web developers are hamstrung into developing for IE at the expense of established standards that work well in all other browsers. You can turn the tide by demanding more from Microsoft and by using a better alternative Web browser. I recommend and use Mozilla Firefox, but Apple Safari (Macintosh only) and Opera 8 are both worth considering as well.

BetaNews has also posted a detailed article on the matter, with a number of quotes from the IEBlog. Firefox and Opera have yet to pass Acid2, but Safari has, and the Mozilla Foundation and Opera Software are dedicated to passing and are getting closer with each milestone release.

Personally, I don't think a widespread boycott of IE7 is remotely possible. Power users stopped using IE for daily browsing long ago, and aren't likely to switch after becoming so comfortable with Firefox or Opera or Netscape or whatever the hell they're using now. And the average surfer has no idea what CSS compliance standards are and couldn't care less. They just want to read their horoscopes and play some games and get on with their lives. They don't really even care about security. If most users did, IE6 wouldn't still control nearly 90% of the browser market.

So it's a nice idea, but ultimately it's litte more than holding up a big sign in a pitch black room. Microsoft just doesn't have to listen to anyone anymore.