IE For Windows Phone Team is listening to developers...

By George Ponder
last updated

In what is sure to be a technical discussion on the pros//cons of using certain protocols, specifically -webkit-text-size-adjust, in the new IE Mobile Browser for Windows Phone 7, Microsoft's developers have done a retraction due to feedback from the community.

Basically, the issue resolved around how to handle text in in a page with an associated caption and there were ramifications for going with the -webkit- CSS property instead of just the -ms- prefixed one.

The team has now decided to not go with the -webkit- and instead only use the -ms- one. We suppose if you're a web page programmer this means something to you and we're hope you're pleased. We're just glad MS is listening to the developer community, who after all have to use these tools.

Now any of our savvy readers care to explain it in layman's terms?

[via IE for Windows Phone team Weblog (opens in new tab)]

George Ponder
George Ponder

George is the Reviews Editor at Windows Central, concentrating on Windows 10 PC and Mobile apps. He's been a supporter of the platform since the days of Windows CE and uses his current Windows 10 Mobile phone daily to keep up with life and enjoy a game during down time.

7 Comments
  • As a developer and a user of Windows Mobile, I can't imagine how this will affect anyone. The only browser of consequence on these devices is Opera. I haven't looked into Mobile 7 development yet, but I hope for Microsoft's sake, they either
    1. Create a browser that completes point for point with Opera's
    or
    2. Allow 3rd party browsers to be installed.
  • Just another example how MS goes it alone - webkit - is used by non MS browsers ( Safari, Chrome and FF ) for advanced rendering of css based web pages. MS never learns - UGGGH!
  • it just shows you how foolish and ill informed some people are and how they sprout false information all over the place.
    Microsoft actually was going to put both extentions in, both the one for Trident and for webkit, but the community said they shouldn't, even one of the guy from the standards body came into the online forum on the Microsoft blog. so they retracted retracted from putting both in.
  • FF uses Gecko, not Web-Kit.
  • In laymans terms, this option is used on some websites to help Webkit based browsers lay out their pages. The webkit based prefix indicates that it's a vendor specific development extension with the idea being that if it becomes a standard, the prefix will be removed. It's therefore wrong for Microsoft to implement it technically, both due to the meaning of the prefix and also that webkit could change the meaning of this particular extension without notice (highly unlikely of course, as it would break all the existing webkit browsers). Also, a lot of sites provide different settings based on the user agent, or to work around quirks in specific browsers. What if MS didn't actually implement this option in a way that behaved exactly like webkit, for example? Instead, MS have implemented an option that they believe is just like the webkit version but with the prefix "ms" instead. Fortunately with cascading style sheets, there is nothing to stop a web developer including both settings in to the style sheet and webkit browsers will use the webkit one and IE would use the ms one. The problem, of course, is that website developers might not bother adding the ms one...
  • Thanks Robert and Argh for the info!
  • Microsoft would actually put two expansions in one for both Trident and WebKit, but society says they should not even one of the guys from the standards body entered the online forum on the Microsoft blog . Then they fell to two inches..