A Brief History of IE Compatibility Mode

Microsoft introduced “Compatibility Mode” to allow really old websites built for Internet Explorer (IE) to display correctly in more standards-compliant versions.  Since then, IE users and web designers have had the almost impossible challenge of “backwards compatibility.”   Here’s a brief history of how we got stuck with Compatibility Mode.

In the beginning…

When the web was young, web design was very much a wild west sort of place.  There were no standards for how websites should be designed, built or displayed by browsers.  Microsoft (being Microsoft) believed browsers should make the decisions on how a site should be displayed and designers should adhere to that (made up) standard.

As time went on, web designers fell into two camps: those that conformed to IE’s standards because of it’s overwhelming market share; and the renegades (the rules be damned!).

Eventually, the renegades started pushing the boundaries of what was possible and web users all of the world were delighted.  New(er) browsers like Safari followed designers and their trends, rather than the other way around.  That fueled a feedback loop resulting in an explosion of really cool, cutting-edge site designs that left anything built for IE in the dust.

Return of the Jedi

Once renegades, the web designers that ignored IE’s standards became the majority.  In 1994, Tim Berners-Lee founded the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) to meet and decide on what would become “Web Standards.”

The wild west of web design was over.  There was structure, but a conscience effort to let web designers continue to push the boundaries, experiment, and eventually re-write those standards.

The Jedi had returned and the old guard (IE) was now playing catch-up.

FireFox and, much later, Chrome browsers offered even more flexibility and tools for web designers.

Internet Explorer Plays Catch-Up

Beginning in IE8, Microsoft reluctantly started using these new Web Standards, but these standards are incompatible with the made-up ones IE created for themselves back in the early 90’s.   So, they came up with “Compatibility Mode” (sometimes called “Compatibility View”).

With Compatibility Mode enabled, older websites designed specifically for IE (that is, websites using the old standards) would display correctly.  Turn compatibility mode off and newer websites would display correctly (or better, anyway).

For years, even with compatibility mode off, modern websites always looked worse in IE.  In the latest version of IE (IE11), Microsoft has removed the compatibility mode icon and buried it in browser settings.  It’s also closer than ever to working like developer-friendly browsers like FireFox, Chrome, and Safari.

That’s a 180 shift for Microsoft and it only took a decade or so… ;)

IE Both Friend & Foe

To this day, IE is still the market leader with various versions still commanding a staggering 45% (or more) share of the browser market.   A remnant of an ancient strategic mistake, Compatibility Mode is still something web designers (and web users) have to struggle with, but there ARE ways around it.

IE will remain the market share leader, in all likelihood, since it comes pre-installed with all Microsoft operating systems.

Ironically, the browser most used by the web public remains the bane of web designers and developers the world over.