There has been a lot of discussion/arguments recently about IE8’s rumored version targeting. I have been a little in between on which side to take, but I think a few articles from this week really helped me to make my decision.

They Shoot Browsers, Don't They?
Jeremy Keith has a great discussion about why the default version targeting is incorrect. He does not think you should have to add extra code (ok, just one line) in order to “enable” new browser features.
Version Targeting: Threat or Menace?
Jeffrey Zeldman takes a different approach and discusses how huge IE’s market share is, and that a majority of people are not developing their websites with Web Standards, and their sites would “break” (display differently) in IE8 (if by default, it would act like IE8).

Imagine all of those large and powerful companies having their sites “broken”, Microsoft couldn’t take it. This is what I think really sold me. While I don’t think it’s necessarily correct, it is probably the right thing for Microsoft to do to protect themselves.
Common Bonds
Eric Meyer brings up a fantastic point here regarding the two different views of version targeting:

We all want to advance web standards. We all want browsers to improve their support. We all want better and more advanced specifications. We all want to reduce inconsistencies. We all want a better web.

Here is the rest of this stuff that I found interesting this week:

Scrutinizing the XO (OLPC) user experience
Very interesting review of the affordable XO laptop.
Idea: A new typography term
While I am not a print/type designer, I found this amusing.
Start Your Own Business
I want to start my own sometime in the future. Great guide about what you need to do it right.
Balancing Work & Family
Nice list of 5 important things to remember before working so many hours.
Awesome up your design with A.B.
Simple tutorial about how to spruce up your design with an auroral background.
500 Million Downloads of Firefox (almost)
Damn, that’s awesome. Still not enough though…
A Conversation with Matt Mullenweg
Wow, Matt just turned 24. I’m turning 24 soon! Amazing what he has accomplished. I am anxiously awaiting the new version of Wordpress to see what the admin section looks like.

Weekly Link Round-Up #19