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Acid2 is a webpage that tests web browsers' functionality in displaying aspects of HTML markup, CSS 2.1 styling, PNG images, and data URIs. The test page was released on 13 April 2005 by the Web Standards Project. The Acid2 test page will be displayed correctly in any application that follows the World Wide Web Consortium and Internet Engineering Task Force specifications for these technologies. These specifications are known as web standards because they describe how technologies used on the web are expected to function.

Key Information

Acid2 tests rendering flaws in web browsers and other applications that render HTML. Named after the acid test for gold, it was developed in the spirit of Acid1, a relatively narrow test of compliance with the Cascading Style Sheets 1.0 (CSS1) standard. As with Acid1, an application passes the test if the way it displays the test page matches a reference image.

Acid2 was designed with Microsoft Internet Explorer particularly in mind. The creators of Acid2 were dismayed that Internet Explorer did not follow web standards. It was prone to display web pages differently from other browsers, causing web developers to spend time tweaking their web pages. Acid2 challenged Microsoft to make Internet Explorer comply with web standards. On 31 October 2005, Safari 2.0.2 became the first browser to pass Acid2. Opera, Konqueror, Firefox, and others followed. With the release of Internet Explorer 8 on 19 March 2009, the latest versions of all major desktop web browsers now pass the test. Acid2 was followed by Acid3.

History

[edit]
The smiley face of the first version of Acid2. Due to problems in this version of the test, the nose is too close to the mouth and the text "ERROR" appears even in a standards-compliant browser.

Acid2 was first proposed by Håkon Wium Lie, chief technical officer of Opera Software and creator of the widely used Cascading Style Sheets web standard.[1] In a 16 March 2005 article on CNET, Lie expressed dismay that Microsoft Internet Explorer did not properly support web standards and hence was not completely interoperable with other browsers. He announced that Acid2 would be a challenge to Microsoft to design Internet Explorer 7, then in development, to achieve a greater degree of standards compliance than previous versions of Internet Explorer. The original Acid1 test had forced browser makers to fix their applications or face embarrassment; Lie hoped that Acid2 would do the same.[2]

Lie and a colleague, Ian Hickson, created the first draft of the test in February 2005.[3] Ian Hickson coded the final test in collaboration with the Web Standards Project and the larger web community.[2][4][5][6] It was officially released on 13 April 2005[7] and at that time, every web browser failed it spectacularly.[8]

On 23 April 2005, Acid2 was updated to fix a bug that made the mouth appear too close to the nose.[9][10] After several complaints, the test was again updated in January 2006 to remove a test for unpopular SGML-style comments that were never widely implemented. In browsers that do not implement SGML-style comments, the original test displayed the word "ERROR" on the bottom part of the face.[3]

In March 2008, Ian Hickson released Acid3 as a follow-up to Acid2. While Acid2 primarily tests CSS, Acid3 focuses more on JavaScript and other "Web 2.0" technologies.[11]

Microsoft's response

[edit]

In July 2005, Chris Wilson, the Internet Explorer Platform Architect, stated that passing Acid2 was not a priority for Internet Explorer 7, describing the test as a "wish list" of features rather than a true test of standards compliance.[12] In December 2007, Microsoft announced that all the changes required to pass Acid2 would be made available in Internet Explorer 8, but that the changes would not be turned on by default, meaning that IE8 would not actually pass the test.[13][14] The concern was that switching to a new behavior would cause too many problems in web pages expecting Internet Explorer's old, non-compliant behavior. Then in March 2008 Microsoft released IE8 beta 1 and turned on the changes by default after all.[15] James Pratt, product manager for IE8, explained that this decision was made so that "developers can spend more time building features and cool stuff, and less time just trying to tweak their sites across different browsers."[16]

Another unresolved standards compliance issue caused IE8 beta 1 to fail if not all elements of the test were hosted from the same server.[17][18][19] In August 2008 Microsoft released IE8 beta 2, which resolved the issue.[20] As of that beta, however, standards mode is not turned on by default for pages loaded in the "Intranet Zone". This zone is active for pages loaded via UNC paths, named addresses without dots (like http://mysite/), and sites that bypass the proxy settings.[21] As such, IE8 will not pass the Acid2 test if loaded in these cases.[22]

Overview of standards tested

[edit]

Acid2 tests a variety of web standards published by the World Wide Web Consortium and the Internet Engineering Task Force. With the exception of CSS 2.1, all web standards tested were codified before the year 2000.[23][24][25][26] CSS 2.1 was a candidate recommendation at the time of Acid2's release,[27] and was still a candidate recommendation as of 23 April 2009.[28]

Specifically, Acid2 tests these functions:[29]

  • Alpha transparency in PNG-format images: The eyes of the smiley face use alpha transparency, which is part of the 1996 Portable Network Graphics specification. Alpha transparency blends the eyebrows into the face smoothly. This was a significant issue because Internet Explorer 6, the most widely used web browser at the time Acid2 was released,[30] did not support alpha transparency. This deficiency was rectified in Internet Explorer 7, bringing Internet Explorer in line with other web browsers in this regard.[31]
  • The object element: The eyes also test support of the HTML object element. The object element has been a part of HTML since HTML 4 was released in 1998,[32] yet by 2005 it still was not completely supported in all web browsers. The creators of Acid2 considered object element support important because it allows for content fallback—if an object fails to load, then the browser can display alternative (generally simpler, more reliable) content in its place.
  • Data URIs: The actual images that form the eyes are encoded as data URIs, which allow multimedia to be embedded in web pages rather than stored as a separate file. Acid2 tests the most common case, where a binary image is base64-encoded into text and then that encoded text is included in a data URI in the web page. Although the IETF published the data URI specification in 1998,[25] they never formally adopted it as a standard.[33] Nonetheless, the HTML 4.01 specification references the data URI scheme,[17] and data URI support has now been implemented in most browsers.
  • Absolute, relative, and fixed CSS positioning: Absolute positioning means that the web developer specifies the exact X and Y coordinates where an element is to be placed into the page. Relative positioning means that the web developer specifies an X and Y offset from the usual position of the element. Fixed positioning means that the element is placed relative to the browser window, and scrolls with the window rather than with the rest of the page.[34][35]
  • The CSS box model: This feature allows the web designer to specify dimensions, padding, borders, and margins,[36] and was the focus of the original Acid1 test.[29] Acid2 not only retests margin support but also tests minimum and maximum heights and widths, features new to CSS 2.0.
  • CSS table formatting: This part of CSS allows the web designer to apply table formatting without traditional HTML table markup.
  • CSS generated content: Using CSS generated content, web developers can add decorations and annotations to specified elements without having to add the content to each one individually.
  • CSS parsing: A number of illegal CSS statements are present in Acid2 to test error handling. Standards-compliant browsers are expected to handle these errors as the CSS specification directs. This helps ensure cross-browser compatibility by making all browsers treat CSS with the same level of strictness, so that what works in one browser should not cause errors in another.
  • Paint order: Acid2 requires that the browser has standard paint order. That is, overlapping elements should be placed or painted on top of each other in the correct order.
  • Hovering effects: When the user moves the mouse over the smiley face's nose, it turns blue. This is called a hovering effect, and while it has traditionally been used for hyperlinks, it should work on a wide variety of HTML elements.[37]

Because Acid2 is not a comprehensive test, it does not guarantee total conformance to any particular standard. A variant of the Acid2 test that does not test for data URI support is also available from the Web Standards Project.[29]

Test conditions

[edit]
Acid2 on Firefox 92.0.1. This image was zoomed in by 300% on the browser.
Failed Acid2 on Firefox 92.0.1. This image was zoomed in by 300% on the browser, causing errors in rendering.

A passing or failing result is only considered valid if the browser's default settings were used. Actions such as changing font sizes, zoom level, and applying user stylesheets can break the display of the test. This is expected and is not relevant to a browser's compliance.[38]

The following browser settings and user actions invalidate the test:[38][39]

  • Scrolling
  • Resizing the browser window
  • Zooming in or out
  • Disabling images
  • Using Opera's Fit to width or Small Screen Rendering modes
  • Applying custom fonts, colors, styles, etc.
  • User JavaScript or Greasemonkey scripts
  • Enabling Internet Explorer's "compatibility view"

Compliant and non-compliant applications

[edit]

If rendered correctly, Acid2 will appear as a smiley face below the text "Hello World!" in the user's browser, with the nose turning blue when the mouse cursor hovers over it. By the end of March 2009, the current versions of every major web browser passed the test. However, at the time of the test's release, every browser failed it.[8] The images below illustrate the various rendering errors of the most popular browsers when Acid2 was released on 13 April 2005.

Timeline of passing applications

[edit]
Date Browser Availability Notes
27 April 2005 Safari private build[40]
18 May 2005 iCab private build[41] This build was made available to registered iCab users on 20 May 2005.
4 June 2005 Konqueror private build[42]
6 June 2005 iCab public build[41] Whether this version of iCab truly passes the test or not was questioned because it displays a scrollbar on the test page.[43] The CSS specification states that Acid2 correctly rendered should not have a scrollbar,[44] but also says that "there may exist valid reasons in particular circumstances" to ignore this requirement.[45][46]
6 June 2005 Safari source code available[47] WebKit, the underpinnings of Safari, was made open source on 6 June 2005. When Safari was run with this latest version of WebKit, it passed the Acid2 test.
31 October 2005 Safari 2.0.2 official release[48][49] Included in Mac OS X 10.4.3. First officially released web browser to pass test.
29 November 2005 Konqueror 3.5 official release[50] First Linux-compatible browser to pass the test, although it did not hide the scrollbar.
7 December 2005 Prince 5.1 official release[51] First non-web browser to pass test.
10 March 2006 Opera 9 Development build 8249 public weekly build[52][53] First Microsoft Windows-compatible browser to pass the test and also the first Linux-compatible browser to pass the test including hiding the scrollbar. A public beta was released on 20 April, also successful.[54][55]
28 March 2006 Konqueror 3.5.2 official release[56] Updated to hide the scrollbar.[57][58]
11 April 2006 Mozilla Firefox public nightly build[59] The "reflow refactoring" nightly builds, whose code was branched from the Gecko 1.9/Firefox 3.0 trunk, pass Acid2.
24 May 2006 Opera Mobile for Symbian OS private build[60] First mobile browser to pass test.
20 July 2006 OmniWeb 5.5 beta 1 public build[61][62][63] OmniWeb switches its rendering engine to WebKit, the same rendering engine used in Safari which already passed the Acid2 test
20 June 2006 Opera 9.0 official release[64]
06 August 2006 hv3 source code available[65]
17 August 2006 iCab 3.0.3 official release[66] First public release that hides the scrollbar.
6 September 2006 OmniWeb 5.5 official release[61]
8 December 2006 Mozilla Firefox, Camino, SeaMonkey public nightly build[67] Reflow refactoring branch is merged into main Gecko trunk. Firefox, Camino, and SeaMonkey trunk builds now pass Acid2.
5 March 2008 Internet Explorer 8 Beta 1 public build[68] Beta 1 passes the test when hosted at www.webstandards.org, but fails the test when hosted at webstandards.org or acid2.acidtests.org.[18]
17 June 2008 Mozilla Firefox 3.0 official release[69][70] Mozilla Firefox 3.0, 3.5, and 3.6 pass the Acid2 test.
27 August 2008 Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2 public build[71] Beta 2 and later pass the test unless it is hosted from the Intranet Zone.[20][22]
2 September 2008 Google Chrome 0.2 beta public build[72]
14 October 2008 Flock 2.0 official release[73]
11 December 2008 Google Chrome 1.0 official release
19 March 2009 Internet Explorer 8 official release[74]
27 October 2009 SeaMonkey 2.0 official release[75]
18 November 2009 Camino 2.0 official release[76]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Acid2

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Acid2 is a webpage test developed by the Web Standards Project (WaSP) and released on April 13, 2005, to evaluate web browsers' adherence to web standards by requiring them to render a specific —a smiling face with a green hat and red details—without errors or deviations. The test serves as a benchmark for browser vendors to identify and correct rendering bugs, emphasizing interoperability and accurate implementation of core web technologies. The Acid2 test specifically assesses compliance with multiple standards, including HTML 4.01 for basic structure, CSS 1 for text properties, and CSS 2.1 for advanced features such as absolute and relative positioning, the box model (including min/max dimensions), CSS tables, margins, generated content, and paint order. It also verifies support for transparent PNG images (used for the eyes), data URLs per RFC 2397, the <object> element for alternative content and 404 error handling, line heights, and hover effects. Deliberately incorporating some invalid CSS, the test probes how browsers handle malformed code while maintaining overall standards compliance. Acid2 marked a significant milestone in web standards advocacy, succeeding the simpler Acid1 test from 1998 and influencing browser development across major engines. Apple's 2.0.2 became the first publicly released, non-beta browser to pass it on October 31, 2005, followed by Opera 9 in June 2006, 3 in 2008, and in March 2009. By highlighting deficiencies, particularly in Internet Explorer's earlier versions, Acid2 pressured vendors to prioritize standards support, paving the way for more consistent web rendering and enabling advanced practices.

Development and Purpose

History

Acid2 originated as a response to persistent browser non-compliance with web standards in the mid-2000s, building on the foundational Acid1 test from 1998 that focused primarily on CSS1 rendering. Håkon Wium Lie, chief technical officer of Opera Software and co-inventor of CSS, proposed the test in early 2005 to address gaps in support for CSS 2.1, , and related technologies, amid growing frustration with dominant browsers like , which lagged in standards adherence. This initiative aligned with the broader web standards movement led by organizations such as the Web Standards Project (WaSP), which sought to pressure browser vendors toward greater interoperability and compliance. Development of Acid2 was led by , a prominent web standards contributor, in collaboration with , beginning with the first draft in February 2005. Hickson and worked together during an Opera workshop in March 2005 to refine the test, incorporating elements like SGML-style comment parsing despite initial debates. WaSP played a key role by hosting the test and promoting it to the community, with reaching out to the group in early 2005 to secure their support for publication and advocacy. The effort reflected the era's push for rigorous testing to expose rendering flaws and encourage fixes across browsers and authoring tools. Acid2 was initially released on April 13, 2005, by WaSP, marking a significant milestone in the standards movement. Shortly after, on , 2005, the test underwent a bug fix update to correct a rendering issue with the mouth element, restoring its intended appearance. Further refinements followed in January 2006, when Hickson updated the test to remove the controversial SGML comment parsing requirement after complaints from implementers, who noted its limited real-world adoption and misalignment with practical parsing needs. These adjustments ensured Acid2 remained a focused and achievable benchmark for standards compliance.

Objectives

Acid2 was developed by the Web Standards Project (WaSP), a grassroots coalition advocating for web standards adherence, with the primary objective of verifying browser support for essential web technologies that lacked consistent implementation across products. Specifically, it aimed to test compliance with HTML 4.01, CSS 2.1 features such as fixed positioning and the inline box model, PNG alpha transparency for images, and data URIs for embedding content directly in markup. This extended the scope of the original Acid1 test, which focused narrowly on the CSS box model, by incorporating a wider array of interdependent standards to ensure reliable rendering of modern web pages. The test was intentionally crafted as a compact, single-page document that, upon correct rendering, assembles into a distinctive face beneath the greeting "Hello World!", with interactive elements like a blue nose on hover. This visual design served to dramatically illustrate successful while immediately revealing rendering discrepancies and bugs in non-compliant browsers, making it an effective tool for developers and vendors to identify issues at a glance. Amid the early 2000s web standards movement, Acid2 was strategically positioned to exert pressure on browser vendors, particularly , whose commanded over 90% of the in 2005 and had a track record of incomplete standards support despite earlier promises. By highlighting these gaps publicly, WaSP sought to compel improvements in adherence, fostering a competitive environment where vendors like , , and could demonstrate superiority. Ultimately, Acid2 embodied WaSP's broader advocacy for uniform web rendering across platforms, aiming to empower web developers with predictable tools and deliver users a more accessible, efficient experience free from browser-specific workarounds.

Technical Specifications

Standards Tested

Acid2 evaluates compliance with several key web standards, primarily focusing on and CSS 2.1 features to ensure browsers render complex layouts accurately in standards mode. The test page declares a strict DOCTYPE to trigger standards-compliant rendering, integrating multiple technologies into a single document that requires precise . In terms of HTML features, Acid2 specifically tests the <object> element, which is used to embed external content such as images while providing fallback mechanisms for unsupported types, as defined in HTML 4.01. This ensures browsers handle embedded objects gracefully, displaying alternative content if the primary resource fails to load. The test assesses a range of CSS 2.1 features critical for layout and styling. It verifies absolute, relative, and fixed positioning, where elements are placed independently of the document flow— for instance, using position: fixed to anchor parts relative to the viewport. Box model calculations are examined, including the computation of dimensions with padding, borders, and margins, along with constraints like min-height, max-width, and related properties to prevent layout overflows or collapses. Table formatting contexts are tested through CSS properties such as display: table, which mimics HTML table behavior for non-tabular content. Generated content is evaluated via the :before and :after pseudo-elements, which insert decorative or structural elements without altering the HTML source. Error-handling in CSS parsing is checked by including deliberately invalid rules, such as malformed declarations, to confirm that browsers ignore errors and continue processing valid styles as per the specification. The paint order for layered elements is scrutinized to ensure correct stacking and overlapping, distinguishing between inline and block-level rendering layers. Additionally, the :hover pseudo-class is tested for dynamic effects, like color changes on mouse interaction, without disrupting the overall layout. These features draw from the CSS 2.1 specification, emphasizing robust support for visual formatting. Beyond HTML and CSS, Acid2 incorporates other technologies to verify multimedia and data embedding. It tests PNG alpha transparency for accurate rendering of images with variable opacity levels, ensuring seamless blending in layered compositions. Data URIs are used to embed base64-encoded images directly within CSS rules, such as data:image/png;base64,..., allowing inline resources without external fetches, as standardized in RFC 2397. These elements integrate into a cohesive test page featuring a central image composed of positioned elements that form a face, demanding precise stacking contexts and transparency handling to achieve the intended structure without artifacts or misalignments. This combination verifies that browsers can synthesize embedding, CSS layout intricacies, and image technologies into a unified, standards-compliant output.

Rendering and Conditions

The Acid2 test, when rendered correctly, displays the text "Hello World!" in navy blue at 24-pixel font size above a centered yellow smiley face composed of a 14-by-14 grid of 12-pixel squares, featuring black outlines for the facial features including curved mouth and eye contours. The eyes appear as white circles with black centers, achieved through transparent PNG images embedded via object elements, while the nose is rendered as a diamond-shaped element using CSS generated content that turns blue upon mouse hover. The composition relies on precisely positioned divs and tables to center the face within the , ensuring no distortions in element borders or alpha transparency effects from the PNGs. This layout tests the browser's adherence to CSS 2.1 positioning and table rendering without introducing any red artifacts or misalignments that would indicate failures in standards compliance. To validly test Acid2, browsers must operate under default settings, including 100% zoom, standard minimum font size, no custom stylesheets or user fonts, and no fit-to-width algorithms or developer tools enabled. A standard desktop viewport size is assumed to accommodate the full display without scrolling, and results may be affected if the window is resized or scrolled during rendering. Verification of pass or fail requires comparing the browser's output directly to the official reference image provided by the Web Standards Project, where an exact match—undistorted yellow face, correct hover interaction, and absence of anomalies—confirms compliance. Features such as PNG transparency are essential to the eyes' correct appearance against the yellow background.

Browser Compliance

Timeline of Adoption

The adoption of Acid2 compliance marked a significant milestone in web browser development, with major vendors progressively updating their rendering engines to meet the test's stringent CSS2.1 requirements, ultimately rendering the distinctive face indicator without errors. achieved the first official public release passing Acid2 with version 2.0.2 on October 31, 2005, establishing Apple as a leader in standards compliance at the time. Shortly thereafter, 3.5, released as part of 3.5 on November 29, 2005, became the second browser to pass, providing users with an early compliant option based on the KHTML engine. In 2006, Opera 9 preview builds began passing in early 2006, with the stable release on June 20, 2006, solidifying cross-platform support for Windows and . iCab 3.0.3 followed on August 17, 2006, offering Mac users a niche alternative that fully rendered the test. became the first mobile browser to pass in 2006, influencing portable web rendering. Camino, another Mac-focused browser, attained compliance with version 2.0 on November 18, 2009, leveraging updates from the engine. Firefox 3.0, released on June 17, 2008, passed Acid2 after prior versions struggled with elements like positioning and transparency, addressing long-standing rendering issues in the engine. 1.0, released on September 2, 2008, passed Acid2 from its initial version. , the last major browser to achieve this, passed with its official release on March 19, 2009, enabling widespread adoption across desktop environments.
BrowserVersionRelease DateNotes
Safari2.0.2October 31, 2005First public non-beta release to pass.
Konqueror3.5November 29, 2005Early Linux compliance via KHTML.
Opera9June 20, 2006Stable cross-platform pass; previews earlier in 2006.
iCab3.0.3August 17, 2006Niche Mac browser achievement.
Camino2.0November 18, 2009Gecko-based Mac update.
Firefox3.0June 17, 2008Resolved prior rendering gaps.
Google Chrome1.0September 2, 2008Passed from initial release.
Internet Explorer8March 19, 2009Completed major browser adoption.

Current Status

As of 2025, all major current web browsers, including (version 1.0 and later), Mozilla Firefox (version 3 and later), Apple Safari (version 2.0.2 and later), (all versions), and (version 9.0 and later), fully pass the Acid2 test when using default settings. The underlying rendering engines—Blink (used by Chrome and Edge), (Firefox), and (Safari)—demonstrate full compliance with Acid2 requirements, and no regressions have been reported in their ongoing development cycles. Older browser versions, such as and 7, fail the test due to incomplete support for CSS 2.1 features like object replacement and data URIs. In niche scenarios, emulators and custom engines may adapt Acid2 variants for non-web purposes; for instance, the cgb-acid2 suite tests pixel processing unit emulation but does not represent standard behavior. By 2025, Acid2 has become obsolete as a certification benchmark for web browsers, given the widespread standards compliance achieved over a decade ago, though it remains valuable for rendering issues or historical demonstrations, with no documented failures in actively developed engines.

Legacy and Impact

Influence on Web Standards

Acid2 played a pivotal role in revitalizing competition among browser vendors during the mid-2000s, often referred to as the second phase of the "browser wars," by highlighting deficiencies in standards compliance and pressuring companies to accelerate support for web technologies. Released in 2005 by the Web Standards Project (WaSP), the test exposed rendering inconsistencies that hindered interoperable web development, prompting rapid improvements in browsers like Safari, Opera, and Firefox. This renewed rivalry fostered a surge in standards adherence, as vendors used Acid2 as a public benchmark to demonstrate progress, ultimately contributing to a more consistent web ecosystem. The success of Acid2 directly paved the way for the development of , released in 2008, which expanded testing beyond CSS rendering to include APIs, DOM scripting, and additional CSS3 features. By establishing a rigorous framework for evaluating browser fidelity to specifications like CSS 2.1, Acid2 demonstrated the feasibility and value of comprehensive conformance tests, inspiring WaSP to create more ambitious benchmarks that addressed emerging web complexities. This progression underscored the evolving needs of web standards, shifting focus from static layout to dynamic, interactive applications. For web developers, Acid2 significantly encouraged the adoption of cross-browser testing practices, as its exposure of bugs—such as improper handling of images and URIs—highlighted the importance of verifying compatibility across engines. The influenced the refinement of tools like CSS validators, enabling designers to prioritize standards-compliant code over browser-specific workarounds, which reduced development time and improved site reliability. By serving as a tangible metric for compliance, it empowered developers to advocate for better vendor support, fostering a culture of rigorous ing in web projects. In the long term, Acid2 helped cement WaSP's tests as industry benchmarks, leading to greater web consistency by the as major browsers achieved near-universal compliance. WaSP disbanded on March 1, 2013, declaring its work done due to the widespread adoption of web standards. Its legacy endures in educational contexts, where it illustrates the historical push for open standards and the challenges of achieving in web history curricula. Today, while superseded by more advanced tests, Acid2 remains a foundational example of how community-driven initiatives can drive technological evolution toward a unified .

Microsoft's Response

In July 2005, Chris Wilson, lead program manager for Internet Explorer's web platform, announced that Internet Explorer 7 (IE7) would not pass the Acid2 test upon release, as Microsoft prioritized security, reliability, and other features over complete CSS 2.1 compliance. He emphasized that while full Acid2 support was a future goal, it was not feasible within IE7's development timeline. This stance drew significant pressure from the web development community, including advocacy from the Web Standards Project (WaSP), which had announced the Acid2 challenge in March 2005 as a public challenge specifically aimed at encouraging to improve standards support in IE7. WaSP's efforts, amplified by developer forums and media coverage, highlighted IE's rendering deficiencies and influenced to reassess its priorities amid growing competition from standards-compliant browsers like . By December 2007, shifted course, announcing that an internal build of (IE8) had passed Acid2 in standards mode, signaling a commitment to enhanced CSS 2.1 support. This progress was realized in IE8 Beta 2, released on , 2008, which fully rendered the Acid2 face under standards conditions. The final IE8 release on March 19, 2009, included Acid2 compliance by default only when the standards mode was activated via a DOCTYPE declaration or meta tag, allowing with legacy sites. This evolution in IE8 marked part of Microsoft's broader post-IE6 efforts to align with web standards, including rejoining the W3C's in April 2007 to contribute to specifications like HTML5.

References

  1. https://www.webstandards.org/2005/04/13/acid2-putting-browser-makers-on-notice/index.html
  2. https://www.webstandards.org/action/acid2/index.html
  3. https://www.webstandards.org/action/acid2/guide/index.html
  4. https://help.opera.com/en/operas-archived-history/
  5. https://www.webstandards.org/2005/10/31/we-love-to-see-you-smile/index.html
  6. https://www.webstandards.org/2007/12/19/ie8-passes-acid2-test-2/index.html
  7. https://www.w3.org/Style/CSS20/gallery.html
  8. https://www.webstandards.org/2005/03/31/interview-with-hkon-wium-lie/index.html
  9. https://ln.hixie.ch/?start=1137799947&count=1
  10. https://www.zdnet.com/article/operas-acid2-challenge-to-microsoft/
  11. https://www.princexml.com/samples/acid2/
  12. https://www.computerworld.com/article/1708301/internet-explorer-keeps-losing-market-share.html
  13. https://www.w3.org/TR/html4/struct/objects.html#edef-OBJECT
  14. https://www.w3.org/TR/CSS21/
  15. http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2397.txt
  16. https://www.webstandards.org/files/acid2/reference.html
  17. https://dot.kde.org/2005/11/29/kde-35-released/
  18. https://eggfreckles.net/notes/the-life-and-death-of-camino
  19. https://betawiki.net/wiki/Internet_Explorer_8
  20. https://zerokspot.com/weblog/2006/06/20/opera9-released/
  21. https://www.webstandards.org/buzz/action/acid2/index.html
  22. https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/3.0/releasenotes/
  23. http://acid2.acidtests.org/
  24. https://github.com/mattcurrie/cgb-acid2
  25. https://www.acidtests.org/
  26. https://www.cnet.com/tech/tech-industry/acid2-acid3-and-the-power-of-default/
  27. https://www.eweek.com/enterprise-apps/new-safari-passes-acid-test-for-web-compatibility/
  28. https://www.webstandards.org/2013/03/01/our-work-here-is-done/index.html
  29. https://thehistoryoftheweb.com/a-short-history-of-wasp-and-why-web-standards-matter/
  30. https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/next-explorer-to-fail-acid-test/
  31. https://www.webstandards.org/2005/03/16/the-acid2-challenge/index.html
  32. https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2007/12/ie8-goes-on-an-acid2-trip-beta-due-in-first-half-of-2008/
  33. https://www.wired.com/2008/08/internet-explorer-8-catches-up-shows-improvements-with-beta-2/
  34. https://news.microsoft.com/source/2009/03/18/microsoft-announces-availability-of-internet-explorer-8/
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