I’ve always believed that you should never write production code that is based on an incorrect implementation of something. Yet, tons of developers rushed to use Internet Explorer-specific CSS hacks to make their pages look consistent across multiple browsers. For a complete list of CSS hacks, check out CSS Filters – CSS Only Hacks.

Now comes the news everyone feared: IE7 parses CSS correctly, which means an end to the hacks that some developers have come to depend on. This means that many, many sites out there will begin to break in IE7.

This is the time when all the standards-supporters say “ha!” They then proceed to point and laugh and say, “I told you so.” And for once, they are right. Relying on hacks for production code is never a good idea. Maybe this will force developers to clean up their act.

Disclaimer: Any viewpoints and opinions expressed in this article are those of Nicholas C. Zakas and do not, in any way, reflect those of my employer, my colleagues, Wrox Publishing, O'Reilly Publishing, or anyone else. I speak only for myself, not for them.