Unbreaking the Web

I'm really excited about Microsoft's switch today to make standards mode rendering the default rendering style, going forward - even at the cost of "breaking the web." I think this is going to have serious positive ramifications for the whole web ecosystem, which is just fantastic. I can't imagine this decision coming lightly and I greatly respect them for making it, even turning about after plenty of criticism.

There's one little jewel tucked away in Microsoft's press release, that helps to shed some light on why this massive change of heart may have come about:

“While we do not believe there are currently any legal requirements that would dictate which rendering mode must be chosen as the default for a given browser, this step clearly removes this question as a potential legal and regulatory issue,” said Brad Smith, Microsoft senior vice president and general counsel.

Ah ha! It all becomes clear, now:

The straw that broke the camel's back? Even if that's not the case, whatever the final reasoning was, I'm just glad that this conclusion has been come to. The web will soon be a much better place for everyone.