We’ve ushered in a new year, and fittingly, there’s a number of developments on the horizon that hold the promise of a better, easier to develop for, web.

Microsoft, and their web offering, Internet Explorer, have long been the bane of the web developer’s existence. While participating in the recent Microsoft-sponsored PhizzPop Design Challenge in Austin, Texas, I almost choked when it was stated that Microsoft is focused on web standards. However, through the course of the week in Austin, I had a chance to speak with a few of the Microsoft folks as well as experience some of their new software offerings in development, such as Silverlight. While perhaps a slow adopter, I now believe Microsoft has indeed switched gears and is joining in the fight for a standards-based web.

The IEBlog recently posted an article confirming that IE8 is in the works. While many did not appreciate the colloquial nature of the post or the lack of details regarding planned features, it still warms my heart to know that only a year after IE7 a new version is in development – while nearly 6 years past between IE6 and IE7.

IE7 went a long way in improving standards support, but there still exists a few random rendering bugs and native XHTML support is glaringly absent. Despite this, IE7 is so frustratingly close to full standards support that IE8 should be the final vehicle of change.

Even if Microsoft’s new commitment was not enough, external pressures will likely forced their hand. It was also announced this week that Opera has filed an antitrust complaint against Microsoft in the EU, much as Netscape did in the US. Since the EU has already ruled against the inclusion of Windows Media Player by default in Windows, it’s possible that Internet Explorer may suffer a similar fate, or more likely, other browser options may be included out of the box. Either way, Microsoft will experience stiffer competition in the browser market, requiring an even more impressive offering.

Not that competition has not already heated up. Recent statistics show that Internet Explorer market share has fallen drastically to around 77%, while Firefox has climbed to just over 16% share. Firefox, of course, has long been the browser of choice for the web-sophisticate, but its growing maturity and avid fan-base have generated a wider audience. Additionally, Firefox has always been a champion of standards, which has likely been a component of the stimulus for Microsoft to join suit.

And what of the standards, themselves? Some think XHTML is on the rocks, but in actuality, it’s simply becoming relegated to its intended purpose. XHTML was designed for modularization. More simply, XHTML is a way to mix-in HTML with other XML based markup languages such as SVG and MathML.

However, the push for a standards-based web has given XHTML a more abstract role. It seems to be used now more as a guardian of compliance and correct markup than a vehicle for XML. Indeed, the lack of native support for XHTML in all versions of Internet Explorer make it acceptable for little else.

So where does the future of the web lie? HTML5 seems to be the next horse to bet on. Looking at the HTML 5 working draft, I’ve caught myself salivating at future possibilities more than once. HTML 5 continues the legacy of HTML’s ease of use and near putty-like resilience, but mixes in the semantic philosophies handed down from XML and XHTML. In fact, HTML 5 is stronger semantically than XHTML, and that by leaps and bounds.

For these reasons and more, 2008 and should be an exciting and interesting year. It would be wise, I believe, to follow the legal struggle in the EU closely, as well as the continuing development of IE8 and HTML 5. There’s enormous potential energy here. Joy to the World (Wide Web).

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