Windows Internet Explorer 8 Expert Zone Chat (May 15, 2008)

Chat Topic: Windows Internet Explorer 8 Expert Zone Chat
Date: Thursday, May 15, 2008

Please note: Portions of this transcript have been edited for clarity.

Introductions:

Daniel (Moderator):
Let's get started with our chat. Before we begin, though, I'd like to have our Experts introduce themselves:

Allison [MSFT] (Expert):
Hey Everyone! My name is Allison and I am working on the Technical Beta Program.

Chris Wilson [MSFT] (Expert):
Hi, I’m the Internet Explorer Platform Architect. I’ve inflicted good (first implementation of CSS in IE) and bad (overlapping tags) on the world in the course of my more-than-decade working on web browsers.

EricLaw [MSFT] (Expert):
Hi, I'm Eric Lawrence, Security Program Manager.

Jane [MSFT] (Expert):
Hi. My name is Jane Maliouta and I am the Deployment PM for IE8.

JohnHrv [MSFT] (Expert):
Hi! My name is John Hrvatin. I'm the program manager for developer tools and script engine integration. Thanks for joining us today.

JP [MSFT] (Expert):
Hi there! My name is JP and I’m the Accessibility Program Manager in the IE team.

Kristen [MSFT] (Expert):
Hi! I'm Kristen and I work on the IE feedback and release team, focusing on IE8 Beta engagement

Matt Crowley [MSFT] (Expert):
Hi, I'm Matt Crowley, and I the ActiveX, extensibility, and Protected Mode Program Manager.

sharon [msft] (Expert):
Hi All - I'm Sharon. I'm working on Search in IE8 and I worked on ActiveX opt-in in IE7.

Start of chat:

EricLaw [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: I have 2GB RAM, and still with nothing running find that IE is really slow, so much so that i and currently using a custom webbrowser that i coded myself in VB, using the IE control, there must be some issue with the outside of the browser?
A: This is likely caused by a buggy addon, as the Web Browser control uses the same rendering / script / layout engines. Did you try running without addons? Do you only see the slowness on specific sites?

JohnHrv [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Sometimes I cannot look at a page source, untill I refresh the browser... Is this a known issue or do u want me to bug it?
A: Hi Peter, do you mean viewing the source in the IE8 Developer Tools or or 'View Source' in the 'Page' menu?

EricLaw [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Do you have strategy for integrating Silverlight as built-in part of IE?
A: Silverlight is a great browser extension that works well with IE and other browsers. Many sites are using Silverlight to enrich their user-experience, and it is gaining significant adoption.

sharon [msft] (Expert):
Q: How do I get an Active Document Server style ActiveX that is installedas part of a software package to load without user interaction in IE8?I have added a key:
HKLM SOFTWARE Microsoft Windows CurrentVersion Ext PreApproved {<GUID>}
A: Is that not working?

Chris Wilson [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Hello I'm having alot of trouble with some sites and some sites load just fine although I reported these sites is the IE team addressing the compatabilty issues example http://favorites.live.com/
A: Hi Mikro - we are working hard to improve compatibility in IE8. Some of these compatibility problems are due to sites that don't expect standards compatibility, and we are working to get the sites changes; some of them are due to missing features in our new layout engine, and we're working hard to fix all of those. Stay tuned for Beta 2.

Kristen [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: I've Been running IE 8 some time now. I was wondering When is the next refresh build coming out?
A: We'll have another Beta sometime later this year. Thank you for using Beta 1!

Chris Wilson [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: From my heart "you all have done a great job with IE8". I have installed it and I am enjoying...
A: Thanks!

EricLaw [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: I noticed IE 8 has a occassional cookie handling Problem is this a known issue ?
A: Please provide detailed repro steps for this issue. I'm not aware of any problems in this space. Many sites run into problems if they fail to set proper P3P headers and set cookies from 3rd party contexts.

sharon [msft] (Expert):
A: sorry, had my settings wrong. Is what you've done not working? Is this after the user has installed the control? The user will still have to approve the install.

Jane [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: I noticed that IE always keeps two processes active even when I closed IE8, is this a bug or does that process keep track of my slices and feeds?
A: Good catch. :) This is a known issue and we are working on it. In the meantime, you can close IE8 using the X icon, which should work correctly. It's only when you close IE with File->close that you run into the problem.

EricLaw [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Will the new Printing bug will be fixed in the next beta version of IE8?
A: Which printing bug are you referring to? If you're talking about Avi's issue, then all I can say is that we're aware of this problem and actively tracking it.

Chris Wilson [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Will the emulate IE7 button be removed in RTM? I would dislike it much if it's put there after release, cause that keeps the world splitted in 4 major browsers. IE6, seven and 8, and that other one. That is the last thing web developers want
A: Peter, we're definitely sensitive to the problems for web developers. We certainly want web developers to be able to rely on standards compliance from IE8; we haven't worked out our exact strategy yet.

JP [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: When is Beta 2 coming out ?
A: Sometime this year.

JohnHrv [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Will the arbitrarily imposed hinging of the "Favorites Bar" to the Favorites & History buttons be unhinged so it can be placed where the user wants it? Same for the search window (which should also be removable) and the command bar - why freeze them?
A: Thanks for the feedback. IE8 Beta 1 was developer-focused, but we've been listening to input on how to improve the overall browser's appearance and customization that we'll incorporate in future releases.

EricLaw [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Can you explain to us, why we will NOT see a (simple) download manager in IE8?
A: We haven't yet announced the full feature set for Internet Explorer 8, but you're correct to note that there's no Download Manager in Beta-1. I'd be very interested in what functionality, specifically, you are interested in that is lacking in IE's current download experience. Thanks!

Kristen [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Btw, I love the webslice very much. I've already added onto my sites. With over 140 team sites, all of them using slices. U might want to check it out. The homepage at www.sportsfanpodcasts.com and teams (with podcast) have it shown under "keep up-to-date"
A: Thank you! This is awesome! I will pass your site link and info on to all IE team members that worked on this feature. :)

Jane [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Q17.... About the two processes keeping active after closing IE8.... It's not working correctly even when I press the X
A: We'll look into it. Thanks for bringing this up to our attention.

JohnHrv [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Q12: I cannot look at page source untill I refresh...... I cannot look at the source when I cilck on view source in page menu
A: I haven't heard about that issue. Thanks for letting us know and please file a bug on it so we can track it.

EricLaw [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: The user installed my application via normal Windows application installation, they shouldn't need to approve the control that happens to be a part of the application...
A: The intent of the feature is to prevent ~inadvertent~ web exposure of controls not intended to run in the browser. This was a significant source of vulnerable attack surface historically. If your control is intended for use in the browser, please ensure that you use the SiteLock template, if possible, and then set the appropriate bits in the registry to indicate that your control was intended for use in the browser.

JohnHrv [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Do you plan to complete the DOM setAttribute() method to set event handlers?
A: Right now we're not commenting on what is or is not planned for future releases, but thanks for the feedback.

EricLaw [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Q14... Download manager.... If I have one download active, keep the current download window... If I have two or more... Use that same window to display their progress in. Show speed and size. Nothing more.
A: So you primary concern is that you want a better window management experience for download handling?

Jane [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: In both IE6 and IE7 if you get a page cannot be found error the title bar stays stuck with that message, even after refreshing and reloading the page successfully. Has this been bugged and fixed in IE 8?
A: We are looking into some improvements to the page cannot be found error. I'll pass your feedback to the right contacts on the IE team. :)

EricLaw [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Please make the IE8 update a "forced" installation, like an important update... With no setup windows whatsfoever, Just something that installs it, like every other update.. There just to many people sticking with older browsers like IE6 - annoys developer
A: For every web developer that wants this, there are many customers that would be furious. Obviously, as the IE team, we're very eager to get broad adoption of our newest version, as we believe it provides the best feature set and fundamentals.

JohnHrv [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: RE: DOM script- recent post on IE blog about Operation Aborted issues highlights the continued absence of a DOMContentLoaded event to signify the point at which it IS safe to add/remove elements from the DOM. Can we get it?
A: Right now we're not talking about what will or will not be in any other releases, but thanks for the feedback.

EricLaw [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Q14... Download manager.... better window management experience.... Yes. Just one window with all my downloads. Maybe tabs, just that I don't have my taskbar full (or grouped full) of download windows. Read the forums, everyone asks
A: Sure.

EricLaw [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: So SiteLock means that I need to make an IObjectSafety that says "yes please" to any question?
A: The intent of SiteLock is so that you DON'T say "yes" to every site, only the sites you expect to run on. The intent is to ensure that your control is not maliciously repurposed.

JP [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: I feel that with IE, as compared to several other browsers, the window is quiet broken up as the contrast between browser window and theme, can i sugest maybe a self adapting theme that changes on reflection of the contents of the browser, or maybe...
A: That's an interesting feature request. I'll take note.

EricLaw [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Because I already have one that answer ITERFACESAFE_FOR_UNTRUSTED_CALLER to a bunch of IDispatch/IPersist interfaces. What else does it need to say?
A: As mentioned in the previous answer, this most likely isn't related to the source of your goldbar.

EricLaw [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Calling IWebBrowser2::Navigate( url, , "_blank") from an Active Document Server doesn't seem to work in IE8, what is wrong? (Actually anytarget other than _self shows this problem.)
A: What specifically happens?

EricLaw [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Not as far as I can tell. I have my key there, same as Flash, but a page with uses of the control in EMBED and OBJECT still get the flashing top bar asking if it should be activiated. Do I need to logout first or something?
A: Please mail me the details, and we'll investigate. ericlaw at microsoft

Chris Wilson [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Hi, thank you for making IE8 better and standard respectful, it helps to improve the web givin better user experience. As a webdevelopper, i use to have layout problems... so what about the hasLayout ? Is it completely removed?
A: When using the new layout engine (that is, in standards mode), the hasLayout system is not in use at all. It's still there, though, because we need to use it for compatibility modes (quirks mode and IE7 standards mode).

Jane [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Has my suggestion from the last chat to allow tabs to be torn off and made into new windows been documented so there is a chance it might be implemented? If not, can I make the same suggestion to the Windows 7 team?
A: This is a great idea and it's on our wishlist of future features. In the meantime, you can press Ctrl+N which will open the current tab in a new window.

EricLaw [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Will IE8 expose an API to read and write Favorites? I'm trying to do this in IE7 right now and parsing a binary registry value to determine the Favorite's order has been... a challenge to say the least.
A: Can you elaborate on what you'd use this API for? The display order is not a public part of the IE development platform.

Jane [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Is the IE team aware that on XPSP3, it is not possible to install some KBs for IE7, some of which are security updates. Besides there are other hotfixes which contain newer files than IE7 RTM, which are not included the cumulative IE updates.
A: Yes, we are aware of this issue. Microsoft is currently working on redistributing the KBs to support XPSP3.

EricLaw [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: I don't see why windows explorer and IE can't be linked into the same application or window?
A: It's not clear what you're asking for. For security reasons, in IE7, we specifically did work to break the ability of Windows Explorer to host IE, and to break IE's ability to host Windows Explorer.

JP [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: I have a suggestion for the password manager. Can the IE team add a "Don't remember now" option to the password remember box?
A: I've written your suggestion down.

EricLaw [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: We expect our control to work for any site anywhere...it does its own security. (Well not really anywhere, but we don't want the user to have to guess where it might be used, or make them say "yes please" every time they go to a new site.)
A: In that case, then yes, SiteLock probably is not appropriate for your control.

Chris Wilson [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: How many functions will websites have when IE8 will be released. Like can it have javascript, pop up windows, silverlight, things like that. Like a very small webpage, but then in your favbar?
A: Peter, I'm not sure I understand this question. Were you asking this about WebSlices, or the browser in general?

EricLaw [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: I also would like to see a basic download manager in IE8. One that can pause and resume downloads, shows the full and true path/URL of the file being downloaded, group downloads and some basic scheduling, that is, autoshutdown or standby after downloading
A: There are some good IE extensions that offer advanced levels of download management including scheduling, computer shutdown, etc.

EricLaw [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Re: getting stuff to run/SiteLock/IObjectSafety >"IObjectSafety not the answer" What do you mean, isn't that what SiteLock is? A fancy IObjectSafety implementation?
A: IObjectSafety isn't related to whether or not the Active Opt-In feature from IE7 prompts the user.

EricLaw [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Re: Q32 - I am one of those who would be furious! I don't want to be dictated to about what I can or cannot put on my computer.
A: Thanks, Nancy.

Cyrar [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: I tried to use styles on my webslices, but never seemed to really work like a normal page would do. Do webslices allow styles, if yes, how? Or are webslices meant to be plain text with just content?
A: Webslices do not lay out exactly like other web pages. Remember that IE sets up a subscription to the webslice - which is essentially a piece of a web page. When IE subscribes to that piece of the webpage, it removes script, activex controls and other potentially unsafe customizations. Additionally, when IE renders your slice, it places a serrogate <body> around the content. That body adopts the styles from the original HTML page. Once you understand how all of this works, it is a little easier to adapt your html/css coding approach to accommodate these design considerations.

Chris Wilson [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: IE8 does not cooperate with live.com; will this be addressed? This bug (even in IE7 emulation) is a show stopper for me.
A: Yes, we've been working with the live team to resolve the problems.

Helen [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: 30] RE: Download Manager: I think a great improvement for the IE would be if the download manager support to stop, pause and resume downloads...
A: Great feedback. I'll pass this info on to the appropriate Program Manager. Thanks!

EricLaw [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Q11Re: If clear cookies everything loads fine for the particular page
A: It's entirely possible that this is a problem with the site itself. Without a solid repro, we cannot investigate this issue.

Kristen [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: I'm running IE7 and some of the text in web pages, more particular search pages, just doesn't show up. I'm getting blanks where words should be in sentences on the pages.
A: Have you tried running IE in "no add-ons" mode or used the "reset IE" option?

Jane [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Thank you for documenting the IE7 & IE8 uninstall / reinstall procedures for upgrading to XP SP3, but please include these notes in the official XP SP3 documentation that is part of the CD. Not everyone has internet access when installing a SP.
A: Thanks for the suggestions. We can't update the XPSP3 documentation on the CD since the CDs have already been created, but we'll keep your feedback in mind for next SP release.

JohnHrv [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: I'm running IE7 and some of the text in web pages, more particular search pages, just doesn't show up. I'm getting blanks where words should be in sentences on the pages.
A: In order to ensure updates don't cause compatibility problems with websites, updates only address security and reliability issues.

EricLaw [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: a taskbar that blends into the browser and only appears when the mouse is over it?
A: Neat idea, thanks.

Chris Wilson [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: 2) when can we expect to be able to add attributes to elements. example a <span> with no class. And adding a class attribute and setting a value. Up to now we can only change the value
A: This is on the list.

EricLaw [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Q11Re: I some times run into a page that stops loading simple refresh will either reload or cause IE to close
A: Such issues are often caused by buggy addons. Please check out www.enhanceie.com/ie/troubleshoot.asp for more help.

EricLaw [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: The current options to turn off and on page content such as Javascript, Java, Flash etc are not very flexible. Can buttons to simply toggle these features be added?
A: Interesting suggestion, thanks!

EricLaw [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: RE: Q&A: [45] Breaking that hosting ability between IE & Windows Explorer was a great move IMO.. :)
A: thanks.

Chris Wilson [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Please support the <canvas> tag in IE8.
A: In part because the specification still is in flux, this will not be in the IE8 product.

sharon [msft] (Expert):
Q: Will search engines like Google and YouTube be added to the defaults. I know you want people to search with Live search, but thinking about people needs, it should be listed. It also takes away a step that people 'need' to do when using IE
A: When users upgrade from IE7 to IE8 all previously installed search providers will remain in the search box. On upgrading from IE6 to IE7 on Windows XP, IE7 carries forward the user’s IE6 autosearch setting.

Chris Wilson [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Please bring on at least an experimental version of border-radius. The other major two have included -moz-border-radius and -webkit-border-radius, for example. We're dying to quit marking up our pages just for the sake of rounded corners. Help us!
A: We'd like to do this in a non-experimental way.

EricLaw [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Is there any change that a better FTP manager would be included in IE8, similar to how IE6 use to work. I have a FTP site, which I cannot read TXT files right from the server. I now have to download the file before I can read it.
A: IE8 can certainly still download text documents over FTP. What happens when you click on the FTP url?

JohnHrv [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: I have 2 questions regarding developer tools (ie8) 1) Why does the toolbar almost always resize very small and hide at the top left, the only way to view is maximize or chose move click arrow once then move mouse.
A: Beta 1 had a few issues with window management that caused some problems that sound like what you're describing. You should report the issue on the Connect beta site, though, to make sure we can track that specific issue.

Harel Williams[MSFT] (Expert):
Q: RE: Zoom- If on final release Zoom continues to report "zoomed" values, you can't distinguish between a window size 80% of fullscreen vs fullscreen zoomed to 125% in that all script-measurable properties are the same. What's the plan?
A: Hey Fontman,

Chris Wilson [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: I have been encountering many websites in the last 14 - 20 months that refuse to save as .mht format (including Microsoft sites). Please consider adding the Microsoft XPS format in the Save as box to alow the archiving of pages.
A: You can already print to an XPS file if you are using Windows Vista - just print to the Microsoft XPS Document Writer.

JohnHrv [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Will the IE team work on improving standardization, like ACID with updates after release... Or do only major versions change this?
A: (originally answered wrong question - sorry) In order to ensure updates don't cause compatibility problems with websites, updates only address security and reliability issues.

Harel Williams[MSFT] (Expert):
A: Hey Fontman, I am assuming you are talking about deviceXDPI and logicalXDPI. There is a known bug in the beta 1 release, which we are planning on fixing. This should address the problem you are referring to, I believe.

EricLaw [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Many websites disable the right click/context menu using Javascript. Firefox specifically has an option to disable doing this while keeping Javascript enabled. Please add this useful feature.
A: I agree that this is an annoyance. Of course, you can simply disable a given site's permission to use Javascript if they're using it to annoy you.

Jane [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Will offline pages come back in IE8, or is this technology now considered a dead end for Microsoft?
A: Offline support is still important to us as customers have asked for it, so it's on our radar.

Helen [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Will IE8 has the abillity to split the screen and show 2 websites like you can with Microsoft Word.
A: This is a great feature request. The functionality exists in a limited way today. If you have two IE windows open and press Ctrl and then right click on one of the IE windows on the task bar, you can choose the option "Show Windows Side by Side".

JohnHrv [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Do you plan to provide a kind of Mozilla Venkman Javascript Debugger Console, Visual Studio is far to heavy to debug Javascript.
A: The IE8 Developer Tools include a javacsript debugger with an immediate window. This blog post has more information, including links to more documentation: http://blogs.msdn.com/ie/archive/2008/03/07/improved-productivity-through-internet-explorer-8-developer-tools.aspx

EricLaw [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Q32: (Forced install or secury update). I believe you want to best for users to. I have nothng bad to say about that. But IE7 asks people to perform several steps in a setup... A setup they think unnecessary or suspicious. Skip that, and people will update!
A: Simplifying setup is always desirable, but replacing software on user's machines without permission is not generally a good idea.

Paul Cutsinger[msft] (Expert):
Q: Will the favbar be in glass on Vista in a later build. The current way on how it looks just doesn't fit with Vista... Make it glass or have it the bar like Windows Explorer has... Or will it stay the same?
A: Thanks for the suggestion, we still have refinements to make to the look. We're working to make sure the look works well with Vista and that usability of the favorites, tabs and commands bar is great. So far, we've found that the usability of favorites isn't optimal on glass so we'll be using a different treatment.

sharon [msft] (Expert):
Q: How about an adaptant searchbar that has 2 search buttons 1)downloadable list of online search engines as there is at the moment and another for genral srch that searches the website you are on( you are on a Wikipedia page, it searches Wikipedia)
A: that's an interesting idea. thanks.

EricLaw [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Sometimes when I search to Google in my search box (top left of IE) Windows Vista closes my browsers because of DEP... Known issue? (running vista 32bit)
A: This is almost certainly due to a buggy add-on. See http://www.enhanceie.com/ie/troubleshoot.asp for more info.

Helen [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: [Re Q13]: There are a ton of things I'd love to do with a user's Favorites. Create recommendations, save them online, the list goes on. I can that now, but without being able to properly maintain the user's order, it's a poor experience.
A: Interesting feature requests. I've never gotten this one before. Can you explain a bit what you mean by save them online?

Chris Wilson [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Why do you don't agree with my suggestion: https://connect.microsoft.com/IE/feedback/ViewFeedback.aspx?FeedbackID=333770 ? I don't think that every web developer add the Meta Tag in it's own website that IE8 know in wich mode it should render it.
A: As per an earlier question - we really don't want users to set a default mode other than the best standards we can support. Doing so would fracture the platform for web developers. We do need to provide compatible modes in order to provide access to older sites, of course. We're still working out the best strategy for users and developers.

EricLaw [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: How can I disable a particular website's permission to use Javascript? As far as I know, 'l have to add it to either of the security zones but those have other restrictions/powers too.
A: Yes, you can use the Restricted Sites zone for this purpose.

EricLaw [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: How about a flid3d for IE tabs within the IE window?
A: Interesting suggestion, thanks.

JohnHrv [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: suggestion: developer toolbar does not explicitly say which rendering mode it's using. debugging one site I was sure it was using ie8 when actually it was using quirks.
A: the IE8 Developer Tools show the document mode in the view->change compatibility mode menu, but thanks for the feedback about making that more discoverable/visible.

Cyrar [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: How does one go about getting listed in the IE8 Activity Providers directory? http://ie.microsoft.com/activities/en-en/Default.aspx - I've got one activity ready that has GOT to be a prime example of an Activity. :)
A: Hey domcat - please share the Activity with the rest of this group. In general, we have been encouraging Activities developer to promote their Activities from their site. We will be re-visiting the Services Guide (or an equivalent), the list of Activities in that guide (or equivalent).

Cyrar [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Regarding IE8 Activities... how does one go about getting an activity listed in the directory?
A: We have been suggesting that Activities developers promote their activities from their own sites.

EricLaw [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: IE 8 renames the anti- phishing in Windows live One Care which only monitors IE 7 at the moment will IE 8 Work in the future with Windows Live One Care Monitoring
A: We're working with the OneCare team so that they properly detect whether or not IE8's Safety Filter is enabled.

Paul Cutsinger[msft] (Expert):
Q: RE: Q&A[68].. would it be a good idea to put a save/print page to option in the File/Send for saving/printing as XPS Doc?

Kristen [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Please document the advanced options and the security settings in the documentation.
A: We are working on improving our documentation. If you have specific questions, we can try to address those now in this chat.

EricLaw [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Will IE8 show the close tab buttons on each tab (even unactive tabs) so we can close them easily at any time?
A: It's a tradeoff; many users prefer the display space and find appearing/disappearing "x"s on background tabs annoying. You can always middle-click a tab (even an inactive one) to close it.

Helen [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: [Re Q 65]: Sure. How about an extension where the user can say "backup Favorites" and I'd write their Favorites to a server. Later the user could say "restore from backup" and get their original Favorites back. It wouldn't work without the order.
A: True. Interesting. This is great feedback/feature suggestion. Thanks :)

Cyrar [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Q7: If Webslices can have functions like javascripts, pop up windows (like settings) when IE8 get's released? Like that if a website can make a member system into the fav bar, and send messages in a popup made by webslices.
A: We cannot comment on future releases - but that is a GREAT idea :D

EricLaw [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: How about implementing a resizable search box that expands as users type and then contracts?
A: Interesting suggestion, thanks!

JohnHrv [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: For goodness sake, change the Ruler shortcut for the IE developer toolbar and release a quick update. This will improve its adoption.
A: thanks for the feedback. we're addressing many of the issues with the IE Developer Toolbar in IE8's built-in developer tools and encourage people to use those (although yes, Beta 1 does not include all features of the IE Developer Toolbar).

JP [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: i don't know if you are aware of Avant Browser and Opera's function of mouse control, different sequences of holding down the mouse and moving it perform different custom functions like bookmark and back/forward
A: Yes, those are cool features.

EricLaw [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: re:Q:[69]when I go to a ftp site, I receive "Internet Explorer cannot display the webpage" This happens with XP & Vista. In Vista the only way to view the site is with Explorer. I can navigate in the site, but when I try to read a TXT file it fails
A: This is usually caused by a configuration issue where the server expects the user to be logged into a specific path. Please send me repro steps (ericlaw at microsoft) and I may be able to help you out.

Matt Crowley [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Can you explain to us, why we will NOT see a (simple) download manager in IE8?
A: We have not announced the final feature set beyond the Beta 1 release.

JohnHrv [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: I just checked the rendering mode if I click developer toolbar for this chat than view->change compatibility mode the three options appear but non is checked !
A: try after refreshing the page. it's an unfortunate beta 1 bug :(

Chris Wilson [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: [74]: Okay, but you must notice that not every webdeveloper want to add this Meta Tag into it's own website. It's for us IE users really uncomfortable to press every time "Emulate IE7" with restarting the browser. With such dialogue would it be much easier
A: We are definitely trying to attack this problem from many angles. We really don't want to freeze the default at IE7 though.

Matt Crowley [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: RE: Q&A[68].. would it be a good idea to put a save/print page to option in the File/Send for saving/printing as XPS Doc?
A: Thats a good suggestion! Thanks!

Helen [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Can we have a thumbnail preview, like the taskbars show your apps in small, IE shows your webpages in small when you hover tabs... (I know we have that quick preview thing, but thats not usefull for profs)
A: This is definitely a request I have heard before and I think it's a great feature suggestion!! Thank you!

EricLaw [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Would it be possible to have IE log MIME handler changes to one of the Windows event logs? A graphical MIME explorer / reset tool would be a great Power Tool/ Resource Kit (assuming Microsoft still publishes these outstanding tools).
A: Is this a request to log when the user changes the application that handles a given MIME type? Or a request to do compat logging when FindMimeFromData changes a MIME type on a server response?

Kristen [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: I noticed with both IE7 and IE8, when I try to print a custom computer page from HP's site, it will print blank pages, https://connect.microsoft.com/IE/feedback/ViewFeedback.aspx?FeedbackID=332531
A: Thank you for filing this bug in the IE8 Beta. We received it and are investigating your report.

EricLaw [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: i don't know if you are aware of Avant Browser and Opera's function of mouse control, different sequences of holding down the mouse and moving it perform different custom functions like bookmark and back/forward
A: There's a FANTASTIC mouse gestures addon available for IE; it's fast and stable and I can't live without it. Please see http://www.enhanceie.com/ie/essentials.asp for the link to the installer.

Cyrar [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Will there be any intergration with Live Mesh, example: being able to store cookies, favorites, store site password? Thanks
A: We really do not comment on future releases - however you can already export feeds, favorites & cookies. You can then add those respective files to Live mesh for synchronization.

EricLaw [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: or maybe if the user holds both mouse buttons a circle surrounds the mouse with different options displayed as pictures which then disappear on release?
A: the previously mentioned add-on enables many advanced features, including displaying the mouse trail, scripting, rocker-navigation (left-right, right-left) etc.

EricLaw [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Will the Mouse wheeel scrolling issue be addressed in Future Builds of IE 8 ?
A: We're very well aware of the problem and it's cause. stay tuned.

Cyrar [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: I second the need for a MIME configuration tool, especially because Windows Vista removes some of the functionality to fully customize file types.
A: thanks for the feedback - I've passed the request onto the networking team

Helen [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Will the favorite add button be converted into the favorite button? It are like two buttons right now, almost doing the same. I suggest to make it just one, so people know if they want to do something with favs, there is the place
A: We have received this suggestion before. Quick follow-up question: The "Add to Favorites" button has the "Add to Favorites bar" option in the menu. Would you go looking to the "Favorites" button to add something to your Favorites bar?

EricLaw [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Re Q 68 & 86, you could include it as a native feature in IE8, and grey it out if XPS Doc printer was not installed yet. Also where do I bug inability to save as .mht or .htm files for Microsoft websites?
A: You can log IE bugs in the CONNECT database. We're aware of several cases of "cannot save page" issues.

Paul Cutsinger[msft] (Expert):
Q: Replace the cursor which appears when middle clicking and moving the mouse with a new smooth one. Also the icon in the Properties of a web page and Connections tab. And the graphic on the Options tab in the Print dialog.
A: Thanks this is great. I'll make sure these are on the list of icons to consider refreshing.

EricLaw [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Why does IE require admin privileges (UAP approval) when a plug-in needs to be installed... This should be taken to virtual modes. Virtual register or how it works. Just not admin rights giving me security risks
A: Please read the latest blog on per-user ActiveX at http://blogs.msdn.com/ie

JohnHrv [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Are there plans to allow extensions to add UI elements to any part of IE? I'd love to be able to add buttons to the status bar, for example.
A: IE offers many options for build browser extensions, including adding UI elements. A good collecting of information is at http://www.enhanceie.com/ie/dev.asp.

EricLaw [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Re Q95, it took me 5 months to figure out why IE was rendering TIF files as a broken red X within browser window, assoc and ftype troubleshooting did NOT reveal answer. Broken QuickTime uninstall was root cause.
A: For TIF, that's pretty much always going to be the answer, since IE doesn't support TIF files natively.

Chris Wilson [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Google maps is still broken, is this a ie8 rendering bug or a Google bug?
A: Google Maps was authored to IE7 standards mode, and hasn't adapted to IE8's better standards compliance yet.

Paul Cutsinger[msft] (Expert):
Q: (Repost): How about an IE ribbon like in office 2008 with addable and removable shortcuts, which could include bookmarks?
A: How do you think something like that might help you browse?

EricLaw [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: and a toolbar find and replace, not a window ?
A: Fine suggestion. IE doesn't offer "replace" today, does it? There are several great Find On Page extensions available for IE7 and IE8 B1.

Helen [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: UI suggestion: Opera's "Paste and Go" right-click menu item on the address bar is beautifully convenient. Hope to see it in IE.
A: That is a great suggestion. Thanks :)

Cyrar [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Re Q 95, the primary time to log would be when an application changes the MIME type handler, although a more verbose debug logging level when IE changes the MIME type might be useful too in limited situations.
A: Sounds like you are looking for a general purpose tool to edit MIME entries and log any changes made to the list. I'll forward that to the networking team

JohnHrv [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Bullet mechanism in editable text areas has a bunch of quirks in IE compared to all other browsers, is that in your radar for fixing/rewriting?
A: this area isn't planned for a large change such as a rewrite. However, please report any specific bugs you've run into on the ie8 beta connect site.

EricLaw [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Re Q 95, the primary time to log would be when an application changes the MIME type handler, although a more verbose debug logging level when IE changes the MIME type might be useful too in limited situations.
A: This would need to be a Windows feature, as such registrations occur outside of IE's control. It's a fine suggestion though.

EricLaw [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Will there be a way to be able to add, or put toolbars on the menu bar(File, Edit, View). Right now, just like IE7, when the user adds a toolbar to this row, when IE is reopened, the toolbar is moved.
A: Thanks for the suggestion.

EricLaw [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Re: 48 - I experience this problem quite often, and in fact, had to clear the cache before I could actually join this chat.
A: Not sure what would cause this. I'm afraid troubleshooting this remotely would be hard.

Chris Wilson [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Just want to tell each team member to keep up the good work, and glad that the IE team is working on New version of IE :D Keep up the good work, can't wait for Beta 2
A: I just heard two "Aaaaaw"s from the room. :) Thanks Joe! We'll pass the feedback on to the team.

Paul Cutsinger[msft] (Expert):
Q: Regards to some toolbar buttons, I'd like to see some such as "Stop all" to stop loading all tabs and refresh all.
A: Try this: Open more than 1 tab and right click on a tab. From there you can refresh all. There isn't a stop all.

Cyrar [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: I would like to see an official directory of Activities. Something like the Add-Ons directory: http://www.windowsmarketplace.com/category.aspx?bcatid=3500 Here's Add to Any's activity BTW: http://www.addtoany.com/ext/ie/openservice/a2a_activity.xml
A: Excellent Idea. So you're talking about a general purpose site for folks to share their activities. Perhaps even a way for folks from the community to rate activities. Sounds like a GREAT idea. ;) I've passed your activity onto the owners of the guide.

EricLaw [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Will be IE8 able to show files like pictures with "ä, ü, ö, ..." characters in it's name? Here an example: http://www.cc.striver.net/downloads/dl434/möööööööööp11111.png <- You wont see this picture because IE doesn't support this characters...
A: Such characters are not permitted in un-escaped format in URIs. You may see it work if you change the setting in Tools/Internet Options/Advanced/Use UTF-8 for URLs. The proper fix is to use correctly %-encoded URIs.

EricLaw [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Any plans to add userscript/user javascripts to modify page behaviour/automate web sites?
A: There are several plug-ins that do this today, including an IE-port of GreaseMonkey, IE7Pro, and the Mouse Gestures Add-on I mentioned previously. As you might imagine, "user javascripts" are only of interest to the technically-savvy enthusiasts (like me :-).

Chris Wilson [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: How are you doing with ACID3 ?
A: Not really a relevant test for us right now. We're very focused on improving our standards compliance in CSS, HTML and DOM; the Acid3 test chases browser bugs. Our number has improved from IE7, but we're not really focused on it. If the author gets around to writing a guide to it, we might be able to break it apart more quickly.

Cyrar [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: RE: q118 Same here IE 8 rocks I like the built in activities feature when ya rt click and pick a task or activity
A: Hey, thanks for the feedback. Glad you are enjoying the feature - and keep a look out for more activities coming your way soon.

Helen [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: I hope beta 2 will allow fully customizing the layout, buttons and the position of toolbars/buttons and all other bars.
A: This is a great request (we've definitely received this request before :-P). Thanks for the feedback!

EricLaw [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Can we except an portable version of IE8? This would be really cool if we can take it with the USB stick. Great would be if I can synchronize my bookmarks with Windows Live and access them with my IE8 Portable when I am not at home.
A: Good suggestion. FWIW, synchronizing bookmarks is a common request; you can do this with the Windows Live toolbar, the new Del.ico.us toolbar, and many others.

EricLaw [MSFT] (Expert):
Q:Q: [119] Mh, I have this option activated, but it won't show me this picture..
A: Try unchecking it instead.

Helen [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Will it be possible to remove the favbar?
A: Why would you want to remove the favbar? (curiosity) Yes, you can simply right-click on empty space in the favbar and uncheck "Favorites Bar".

Cyrar [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: With respect to the rendering engine, is CSS2 compliance the only major improvement in the v8 release? Or is any major support such as XHTML, DOM Level 3, CSS3 or SVG in the plan?
A: Hey Tux, we really cannot comment on future releases. Can your prioritize the importance of the features that you are looking for?

EricLaw [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Just like the toggling Javascript/Java/Flash settings I mentioned earlier which are difficult to change every time, the option to use a custom stylesheet is also buried deep inside the UI. Please add it it to the toolbar and support per site stylesheets.
A: Cool suggestion, although, like the per-feature toggles, one that only "advanced" users are likely to understand and use.

Chris Wilson [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: With respect to the rendering engine, is CSS2 compliance the only major improvement in the v8 release? Or is any major support such as XHTML, DOM Level 3, CSS3 or SVG in the plan?
A: We've done a lot of work on completing CSS2.1 (a first), a few bits of CSS3, HTML4.01, a few pieces from HTML5, and a bunch of DOM 1 and 2. We posted about this on the IEBlog a little while ago.

JP [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: A simple "Speak it/say it" button utilizing SAPI would aid accessibility greatly. Especially for people with vision impairments when reading long articles.
A: That's a good suggestion and I'm taking note of it. Did you know you can use Windows Narrator for a pretty similar effect?

Matt Crowley [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Will IE8 support styling of the UI? This would be really cool.
A: IE supports the branding of certain elements of the browser through the IEAK.

Kristen [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Great job. Thanks to all of you.. I’m loving IE8
A: You’re welcome! I’ll pass your comment on to the team :)

Paul Cutsinger[msft] (Expert):
Q: (Response on Q114): i feel that the ribbon would allow easy access especially if it was made of all the standard functions, search bar and address bar, so much neater, everything in one place?
A: Thanks. Generally, any changes in the UI come with some learning costs for customers. So, we always want to be sure that the changes are really useful. I asked what you'd want to do with a Ribbon because rather than just changing technologies, we make changes to support someone's needs. If those needs outgrow our existing technology or UI metaphors, we'll make the changes necessary. Thanks again for sharing your thoughts.

EricLaw [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Great job. Thanks to all of you.. I loving IE8
A: IE's extension architecture provides a great deal of power, and the work that we're doing in IE8 is geared toward allowing developers to properly limit their attack surface by opting into mitigations like per-user ActiveX.

Chris Wilson [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Following up on the earlier question, XHTML and CSS3 are very very high priority for me, followed by DOM3 and SVG.
A: tux, what benefits are you looking for from XHTML support?

Paul Cutsinger[msft] (Expert):
Q: RE: Q&A[128].. your answer removes the bar, does not *move* the bar. It takes up a whole line of real estate as is.. it *should* be movable.
A: Ah, thanks for the clarification and the suggestion.

EricLaw [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Not Sure if this is where I can suggest this But I have a corky Cable connection Cheap ISP My connection I had an Idea for a wired connection monitoring where it would show in real time monitoring opf my up and down speeds.
A: I think you might be able to do that with a Windows Vista sidebar gadget; also, you can do it with the performance monitor applet.

Helen [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: In IE7, when you click the star, the feeds icon had a orage star(indicating an updated feed) in IE8 this has been removed. Will this be added back, and if not why was it removed https://connect.microsoft.com/IE/feedback/ViewFeedback.aspx?FeedbackID=331730
A: In IE8 B1, we started allowing users to add feeds to their Favorites bar. (Once you have subscribed to the feed, you can right click on the feed in the Feeds tab in the Favorites Center, and say "Monitor on Favorites Bar".) The item will bold when the feed has updated, and you will be able to see the new titles simply by clicking on the feeds item on your favorites bar (no navigation necessary). Please let me know if you have any questions about this :)

Chris Wilson [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: If no one adopts a standard, is there a need to force it?
A: I'm not sure what you're asking.

Paul Cutsinger[msft] (Expert):
Q: If the IE ui can be changed in later builds / versions. Can those plugins/toolbars support glass?
A: Thanks for the suggestion

Daniel (Moderator):
Well, we are out of time for today's chat. Thank you very much to all of our guests who joined us today as well as to our Experts for answering so many great questions. Have a great day everyone!

Chris Wilson [MSFT] (Expert):
Thanks everybody! See you next time...

Allison [MSFT] (Expert):
Thanks everyone! Bye!

Cyrar [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Custom XML namespaces be mention one.

Kristen [MSFT] (Expert):
Great questions today! Thank you for joining us...see you in a month!

Chris Wilson [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Custom XML namespaces be mention one.
A: ah, okay. Thanks for the feedback.

EricLaw [MSFT] (Expert):
Q:Q: [129]: Ah okay, why I uncheck it, it works. Why do you enable this function by default? I think its for users who are "I can only move my mouse -that's it!" really confusing...
A: The "proper" approach might be to reject any invalid URL, but obviously that could break compatibility with sites that are dependent on malformed URLs. Send all URLs as UTF8 is compatible with more sites, and hence it's the default.

Paul Cutsinger[msft] (Expert):
Q: I have been encountering many websites in the last 14 - 20 months that refuse to save as .mht format (including Microsoft sites). Please consider adding the Microsoft XPS format in the Save as box to allow the archiving of pages.
A: Thanks you for the suggestion.

Helen [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Very few people ever used the Links bar... what is there about the favbar that will make people want to use it?
A: Now in IE8 B1 we support WebSlices and Feeds on the Favorites bar. Without navigating away from the page you are on, you can see updated feeds or content from pages (i.e. you can subscribe to a webslice on ebay that pertains to a certain auction item - every time the price changes, the webslice item on your favorites bar will bold, and you can click to find the new price, the highest bidder, etc.).

JohnHrv [MSFT] (Expert):
thanks everyone!

Jane [MSFT] (Expert):
Bye. Thanks for a great chat.

Harel Williams[MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Right now, only web developers can make it possible to slice a web, for a webslice... How about the end-user itself... Like if I can press a button, snip a part of the web I'm visiting, and a new webslice has been made?
A: Good suggestion. This is similar to OS X web clips, right? The only difficulty with this is if the page changes then the "end-user webslice" could be showing the wrong information.

EricLaw [MSFT] (Expert):
Until next time, goodbye!

Harel Williams[MSFT] (Expert):
Q: I'm sorry, I don't use OSX, so I don't know about web clips. But I think it could work if you pick the right div or something
A: Good point, but you are depending on that div staying the same in some way, in the context of the page so that we can reload it accurately each time. Still an interesting suggestion, but a tough feature to do correctly. Thanks!

Harel Williams[MSFT] (Expert):
Thanks for coming guys. I hope to see you all again in a month!

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