At some point, every digital designer, has asked themselves, “Is Internet Explorer the boogeyman?” And if you have not, now is a good time to do so!

In our profession, why do we  consistently single out IE (i.e., Internet Explorer) for all the ills that befall the flesh of our beautifully crafted designs? Is it because, as designers we are Mac based, and regard the Windows camp with ‘camp’  suspicion, or, it is because, we are making not a wild but a valid observation – one which is based on the facts and track record of IE?

After years of experience in the profession, I am inclined to consider IE as the worst browsing platform ever developed. If Microsoft were not the monopoly that it is, chances are IE would not have survived for as long as it has. So what is the big problem with IE? Is it that it is buggy? Perhaps… Is it that it is ‘embedded’ into Windows? Possibly? Is it that it is insecure and easily exploited? Likely so… But the main problem with IE is that it flaunts W3 standards in favour of its own Windows interpretation, which has been inconsistent, arbitrary and variable.

Indeed, in the hands of Microsoft, IE became an unwitting tool in the battle for Internet supremacy. Thanks to the Open Source movement, aided by smart revenue-raising anti-monopoly fines, and by IEs own lack of quality, Microsoft did not succeed. But along the way, plenty of damage in the form of decreased progress and increased cost has been exacted, and continues to be exacted. While waiting for the next version of Windows, the one that will fix “all Windows woes and bring about enlightenment,” I cannot help but think: “Here we go again…”

Well… It is finally here! The new web site. It has been in the making for a while, and marks most notably my move to the WordPress platform, which I have found to be quite excellent. I had evaluated quite a few open source CMS’s – and it finally came down to WordPress versus Drupal, with WordPress emerging as the winner.

I did not consider closed source CMS’s, since I have contributed to quite a few of those in the past, and thought it was time to try an open source solution.

The present site integrates the web design/development, and arts branches of my activities – and also features a Flash AS3 media player, which, rather than using components, or skins, etc, I completely wrote from scratch. It was quite a fun endeavor, and AS3 gets my full vote of confidence – it is fast and boasts a well thought out, and well-designed OO design and implementation.

I hope that the new web site will provide plenty of interest in the shape of ideas, opinion, web downloads, and art material.

Thanks for visiting, and have a good time!