For Immediate Release More information: George Olsen mailto:golsen@2lm.com Design Director/Web Architect http://www.2lm.com 2-Lane Media tel: 310/473-3706 x2225 WEB STANDARDS PROJECT CALLS ON MICROSOFT TO FULLY SUPPORT STANDARDS IN NEXT VERSION OF THEIR INTERNET EXPLORER BROWSER The Web Standards Project (WSP) today called on Microsoft to fully support key Web standards in its next release of Internet Explorer -- and presented Microsoft with a petition signed by more than 1,000 Web developers from Fortune 500 companies and major educational and government institutions. "In the past, Internet Explorer was the leader in standards support," said WSP Project Leader George Olsen. "Unfortunately Microsoft now appears noncommittal about implementing key Web standards: those forming the foundation for the future of the Web." "In contrast, Netscape has promised full support for these standards in their upcoming Navigator 5.0 browsers, and so far appears headed toward fulfilling that commitment -- although they've yet to get their browser out the door," Olsen said. Unfortunately, unless both browsers support these standards, some of which are well over two years old, they will remain a missed opportunity for eliminating browser incompatibilities that are plaguing those who own, build and visit Web sites -- similar to the problems posed by the current dispute over instant messaging standards. These problems include: * adding 25 percent to the cost of building sites due to workarounds and extra debugging * preventing sites from using advanced features that would provide a richer and more useful experience for site visitors * threatening to fragment the Web, especially as browsers move beyond the desktop "The current fight between AOL and Microsoft over instant messaging shows how the public loses when companies produce similar but incompatible products," Olsen said. "The same ridiculous situation exists for browsing the Web because browser makers have failed to implement the common set of standards. If Microsoft wants to argue that common standards are needed for instant messaging, they should be prepared to implement existing Web standards in their browser." To stress how eager Web professionals are for standards support, WSP presented Microsoft with a Web standards petition signed by more than 1,000 Web developers from Fortune 500 companies and major educational and government institutions. The petition drive took place at two recent Web development conferences: Web Design '99 in Atlanta and Web Design World '99 in Seattle, both produced by Thunder Lizard Productions. "Our attendees are sick and tired of jumping through compatibility hoops," said Conference Chair Jim Heid, who helped spearhead the drive. "They want to know when browser vendors are going to support standards." The petitions are the first step in a campaign by WSP asking Web site owners, developers and visitors to call Microsoft to fully support key Web standards in its next release of Internet Explorer. (See related press release: "Web Standards Project calls on public to pressure Microsoft to fully support Web standards in their browser.") "If Microsoft intends to not implement these standards, then they have a responsibility to make the public aware of that fact. Developers need to let their clients and site visitors know that standards-compliant sites may not display properly on Internet Explorer," Olsen said. ABOUT THE WEB STANDARDS PROJECT WSP is an international coalition of Web developers and Web experts who are urging browser makers to fully support HTML 4.0, Cascading Style Sheet Level 1 (CSS-1), the Document Object Model (DOM) and XML in their browsers. Its effort to bring attention to the existing and potential problems involved with browser incompatibility doesn't mean that WSP is opposed to innovations by browser makers. The coalition merely urges browser makers to use open standards for enhancements and support existing ones before adding new features. ABOUT WEB DESIGN '99 AND WEB DESIGN WORLD '99 These conferences for Web design and development professionals encompass several days of intensive, how-to sessions on all aspects of Web design and development. For more information contact Jim Heid, Conference Chair, (707) 937-1747,