I’m the kind of guy who likes his computing experience to be simple. An easily accessible interface and a slew of impressive features spells programming perfection for a guy like me. And although I find myself booting up OS X more than any other operating system, there are still quite a few Windows programs that I absolutely adore. One of them is Backup for Workgroups.

There always comes a time when backing up is a pain. Especially if you are working in a small office or have a standard home network. The enterprise guys, with their unlimited budgets, have it easy. It’s those of us who need the high end functionality but lack the funds to buy such programs that have to suffer.

But thanks to Backup for Workgroups, those days are gone. Although the program isn’t the most uniquely named, it does come with a very well rounded set of features. I liken it to a more powerful version of Time Machine for Mac OS X (though Backup for Workgroups is for Windows). Here’s why.

Like Time Machine, Backup for Workgroups has an extremely easy to use interface that even the least sophisticated user can fire up and immediately know how to use. As quick as a snap, the backup software can be copying your files to a wide range of drives, including NAS and SAN solutions. Furthermore, like Time Machine, Backup for Workgroups can schedule backups and run automatically whenever you want. And for speedier backups, it will learn what you’ve stashed away and save updates to only those files in the future.

But Backup for Workgroups actually provides a lot of the features that the Time Machine developers left out. The program can back up more than just files, including Exchange Servers and MS-SQL data. You can also create massive arrays of disks to store data on, instead of choosing just one. Backup for Workgroups will even manage all of the necessary information needed for offsite storage and can encrypt files up to 256 bit. It’ll even send out a daily email report that categorizes and documents all of that day’s backup activities.

Normally, I tend to slam developers for overpricing their programs, but the $99 per computer that Lockstep Systems is charging for their data backup software is actually pretty decent. Lots of functions for an acceptable price. And if that’s not doing it for you, they even offer a 30 day, (mostly) unrestricted trial.

Overall, I highly recommend giving Backup for Workgroups a try. Their software runs fantastically on Vista (32 and 64 bit), XP, and a few other NT based Windows OS’s. Of all of the backup programs out there for small businesses and home users, this is easily one of the best. It takes a lot to stand out in a crowded arena like the backup sector, and these guys have crafted a program that is exactly what I’d love to see more developers head towards. Feature rich and user friendly.

Take them up on their 30 day trial and let me know what you think in the comments below.

I’ve been reading a lot of posts about how disgraceful it was for Apple to “force” Safari 3.1 on Windows users via Apple’s update system. Various well known bloggers and software engineers have likened Apple to spyware companies and various other nefarious businesses.

Let’s get one thing straight first and foremost, there was no forcing of software on anyone. Safari 3.1 was released, it showed up in the Apple updater for Windows–even on people’s machines who had not installed any previous version of Safari. There was no underhanded behind the scenes installation going on. Hell, nobody came from Cupertino to strong arm you into clicking that install button. You could either say “Yes, install Safari on my system” or “No thanks, Safari isn’t for me”. The choice was completely up to the user.

It all boils down to one simple question. If you were a developer in Apple’s position and you had one very popular product and another product you know people would love, but they just haven’t given it a try yet, would you do the same thing?

I don’t have a problem with it. As long as I actually have the option to say “No thanks”, it doesn’t bother me that software companies push their lesser known products like this. Of course, people should take responsibility for their computing actions and actually read what comes on their screens instead of clicking “Install” like a kindergardener doped up on a sugar high.

The situation would be completely different if Apple had tried to shove a paid product onto people’s computers. Much like Yazsoft, the company who makes Speed Download for the Mac did earlier this year with their release of Speed Download 5. While it’s gone now, they threw a paid upgrade onto the automatic updater. Tacky. And underhanded.

Why a triple boot?

I like to try new things and I need to be able to check out software on all three operating systems. In the future, I may just virtualize some Linux distro instead of giving it its own disk or partition.

Is it worth the time to build a Hackintosh?

Someone eventually asks this question in every Hackintosh or multi-boot related post, so I’m going to get it out of the way. It takes a lot less time to click the order button for a Mac Pro on Apple’s site. But where’s the adventure in that? It should be noted that I already own two Macs and my next two computer will be a MacBook Pro whenever they get around to updating its design (hopefully WWDC 2008) and a Mac Pro.

Is it worth the time to set up and run Linux?

Yes. Linux has a long way to go before it will best Windows or OS X in the desktop market, but it’s a fun operating system to play around on. The usability has grown leaps and bounds in the past few years and it is now extremely user friendly. Should you give it to your Grandma? No, but you shouldn’t give her Vista either.

How long did this take, really?

Building the computer back in September took about half a day from unboxing the parts to removing the old parts from my case to installing the new parts. Installing all three operating systems and getting them to work perfectly took about six hours.

How stable is it?

Rock solid. No kernel panics, no app crashes, no problems whatsoever under OS X. Just like my MacBook and my iMac. There are some issues with program compatibility under Vista, but that’s the fault of software developers and nothing to do with the computer itself. Furthermore, Linux Mint is just as stable as OS X. Don’t believe me? Here’s a screenshot of my uptime from iStat Pro.

Are there any problems you didn’t tell us about?

Sound in Vista is flakey at best–but it was like that long before I began to multi-boot my system. Sometimes Linux Mint takes a long time to boot up, and I have no idea why. It boots though, so that’s all that matters.

I have no sound on my OS X installation. Help.

Prior to writing this guide, I installed OS X on my PC three times. All three times, there was no sound. All you have to do is go to System Preferences. Then to Sound. Choose Line Out for your output type under Sound Effects and Output.

I have no Internet on my OS X installation. Help.

Once again, this was a problem with each Leopard installation I did. Go to System Preferences. Then to Network. Remove every Ethernet option from the list on the left. Hit Apply and Quit System Preferences. Open System Preferences again, click on the “+” sign on the left and add each Ethernet option one by one. Hit Apply, wait for one of them to go Green and say Connected. Close System Preferences.

I got a Chain Booting Error. Help.

Damn. I got that several times too. Honestly, I don’t know how I fixed it. After formatting everything twice, the error magically went away. Here are a few references to check out if you are looking for a way to get rid of it.

Why can’t I access (insert OS name here) drives from (another OS)?

Because some operating systems just don’t recognize the file systems that other operating systems use. There are programs out there that can help you out, though. To have read write access to NTFS (Vista) from OS X, try Paragon NTFS. And check out this guide to access ext2/ext3 (Linux) data from Windows.

Should you build a Hackintosh like this or buy a real Apple computer?

If you’re sitting on the fence about your next computer, build a Hackintosh just to see if OS X is for you. Otherwise, there is no excuse to buy the real thing. I did, Chris Pirillo did, and numerous other computer users did. There’s not a single good reason not to switch to a Mac these days. Even if you’re a gamer, stop wasting your money on computer gaming and buy a console. You can get an Xbox 360, a Wii or a PS 3 for the price of a graphics card.

Special thanks to these fine people. Without them, none of this would have been possible.

• InsanelyMac and the OSx86 Wiki for developing an amazing community around OS X on the PC.
• Kalyway for “porting” OS X.
• Apple for creating an amazing operating system.
• The teams at Ubuntu, Linux Mint, and openSUSE (my 3 favorite distros).
• Microsoft for creating an OS that actually prompted me to install other operating systems on my PC.
• Lifehacker and dailyApps for finally giving me the motivation to try building a Hackintosh with my existing PC.

• Intro
• Part I: The Parts
• Part II: The Build
• Part III: The Installation
• Part IV: The Bootloader
• Part V: FAQ

Technically, if you’re happy pressing F8 whenever you restart your computer, you’re done. But a boot loader works so much better.

Boot into Vista. Load the Kalyway Leopard DVD and browse for the chain0 file. Copy that file into your C: drive. The path should look like this: C:/chain0.

Now head to NeoSmart Technologies and download a copy of EasyBCD. This program will allow you to modify the Vista boot loader to allow easy booting of all three operating systems.

While you still have your browser open, navigate to netkas.org and pick up a copy of PC_EFI V8.0 from the link in comment #55.

Start up EasyBCD and click on Add/Remove Entries and pick Linux from the tabs. Choose GRUB (likely the boot loader on your Linux installation). Rename “NST Linux Loader” to whatever you want.

Now, still under Add/Remove Entries, select NeoGrub. Click Install NeoGrub, followed by Configure. This should take you to a text editor screen. Copy and paste the text below after the commented out area in the menu.lst file.

title Mac OS X
kernel (hd0,0)/NST/boot_v8

NOTE: You can change the title to whatever you want. It’s the title that will be displayed in the boot menu. Also, you may need to change the (hd0,0) section to your specific hard drive settings. The first 0 corresponds to the boot drive while the second 0 corresponds to the partition. If you need help figuring out which drive is which, please leave a comment below.

Save the menu.lst file and close EasyBCD.

Next, unzip your PC_EFI file. Inside of the new folder, look for the boot_v8 file. Copy that file to your C:/NST/ folder. The path of the boot_v8 file should be C:/NST/boot_v8.

Restart your computer, enter the BIOS, and make sure that your Vista disk is the default boot drive.

When the computer finally reboots, you will be presented with a screen that contains three booting options: Vista, Linux, and NeoGrub. If you want to boot into Vista, select “Vista”. For Linux, select “Linux”. And for OS X, select NeoGrub.

Once you select NeoGrub from the boot loader, you will have to select Mac OS X from the following screen. In some cases, OS X may fail to boot from the loader. If that happens, go back to NeoGrub, select Mac OS X again, and when the timer starts counting down, press any key, then type 81. This should resolve your problem.

NOTE: Once again, this step depends on your hardware configuration. For me, 81 was the number to enter. It may be 80, 82, or even 83 for you.

And that’s it. When you’re sure that everything boots normally, you’re all set.

This concludes the step by step portion of the comprehensive guide to building a rock solid triple booting machine. FAQs are next.

• Intro
• Part I: The Parts
• Part II: The Build
• Part III: The Installation
• Part IV: The Bootloader
• Part V: FAQ

Alright, so you’ve got your computer built, and I assume is starts up as it should. You may want to consider running Memtest to make sure your RAM is working properly before you proceed–or you can just jump right in to tweaking the BIOS settings.

Even if you just bought your parts, you need to upgrade your BIOS. If you’re following this guide perfectly and are using the P5W DH Deluxe, you can pick up the latest BIOS at Asus’s site. Follow the instructions in your manual to update the BIOS.

We begin with Vista. It’s the clunkiest of the 3 operating systems, and is more likely to break the other two if installed last, so it’s a good candidate for the first OS, just to get it out of the way.

Leave the BIOS settings at factory default and you shouldn’t have any problems.

Choose the drive you want to install Vista on and follow the instructions on the screen. The Vista installation is pretty straightforward and should be done in around a half hour.

Once Vista boots up properly, you have two options. This is the point where my guide diverges from others you may have seen online. There will be no partitioning of drives here, as this guide is designed for multi-drive use.

If you haven’t already, disable Vista’s UAC.

Take the Vista DVD out of your drive and replace it with the Kalyway Leopard DVD you burned earlier.

Restart your computer and boot to the BIOS. You’ll need to tweak a few settings to get Leopard to work properly.

Use these pictures as a guide to help you determine which BIOS settings to use:

Save and exit. The machine will restart.

Boot to the Leopard DVD. When the blank screen disappears, you should see the OS X installer show up on your screen.

Once you have control over your mouse, head up to the menu bar and select Utilities, then Disk Utility.

Format the drive you want to install Leopard on with the option MAC OS X Journaled Extended.

Quit the Disk Utility and press the Customize button before you continue on to installation.

On the customization menu, make sure the following options are checked (if you are following along with this build as written):

• Vanilla_Kernel ACPIPlatform
• Vanilla_Kernel
• Vanilla_ACPI_fix
• NVINJECT_gfnvidia_desktop
• HDA_ALC882 (p5w_dh)
• Realtek_wifi_1.4.5_UI
• BOOT_efi_guid

Click install and go make yourself a sandwich or something in the meantime. The installation will take about a half hour.

Follow the on screen instructions and you’ll be at the desktop in no time. Once you’ve got 10.5.1 up and running, you’ll need to visit the same site where you found the Kalyway Leopard disc image and download two more files.

• kalyway_hack_10.5.2ComboUpdate
• 10.5.2 kernel vanilla and patched !

Install the ComboUpdate file. Reboot to OS X.

Install the 10.5.2 kernel file. If you chose the Vanilla Kernel earlier during the install, choose Vanilla Kernel when prompted. Reboot to OS X. And you’re done with OS X for now.

The last step of installation is to install Linux.

I’m going to assume you have another drive ready for Linux, so go ahead and pull out the Kalyway disk and pop the Linux CD or DVD into your drive.

Just like with Windows, assuming you’re using a Live CD, just follow the onscreen instructions and you should be fine. If you happen to have a problem, you can consult the Ubuntu Forums for Ubuntu (and related distros) advice or various other help sites set up for other distros.

Once the install is finished, press F8 (for the P5W DH Deluxe) during the BIOS tests to bring up a boot drive selection screen. This is a stopgap because we don’t have a boot loader that can handle each OS in place yet. Select the drive that holds the OS you want to boot to and repeat to check that each is still working fine.

• Intro
• Part I: The Parts
• Part II: The Build
• Part III: The Installation
• Part IV: The Bootloader
• Part V: FAQ

OK, so you’ve got your parts all ready, now it’s time to really get hands on with the project. If you’re nervous, don’t be. Building your own computer is surprisingly easy and by the time you’ve finished, you’ll feel like a professional.

Here are a couple of tips to keep in mind before you begin your build:

• Read through this guide once or twice so that you know what you are getting yourself into. There is nothing worse than starting a project but never finishing it because you feel you don’t have the skills or knowhow to continue.
• Build your computer in a room with plenty of light (natural or artificial) so you can see what you’re doing. Things can get a little dark and cramped when you’re reaching into your case, and you don’t want to make things worse by building in a room with low light.
• If you don’t have a clue what you’re doing, ask for help. I’ve tried to make this guide for mid-level computer users. If you want a very in depth guide, check out the one at PCMech. Also, if you have any problems at all, feel free to comment here, or check out the Anandtech forums.
• Always follow the instructions in your motherboard’s manual if you get stuck somewhere.

Start by finding yourself a nice open space on a table somewhere where you can work without being disturbed and without too much dust floating around. Also, be sure that you ground yourself with a grounding bracelet. They’re cheap and certainly beat the price of replacing your motherboard or processor.

The best place to start a build is to prep your case for your parts. That means removing the panels, taking out the screws and any drive bay covers where you will later insert a drive. Also, stretch the case’s cables so that they can be easily accessed when it’s time to connect them to the motherboard. And take out the default I/O shield at the rear of the case. Replace it with the I/O shield that comes with your motherboard. Remove the motherboard mounting plate from the case and set it aside. Be sure that you clean your case at this point unless it’s brand new.

Many people choose to start with one thing or another, but you should really let your case dictate where you begin. Personally, I start by putting in the drives, followed by the power supply. This works best for smaller cases where you may not have much room to move around once the motherboard is installed.

Unwrap your drives and slide them in place. Screw them in loosely for now, as you may need to reorient them slightly later.

Next, remove the case’s default power supply (if there is one) and replace it with the power supply you bought. You can go ahead and screw it in tightly, chances are you won’t have to remove it any time soon. Unbundle the internal power cables and let them hang for easy access.

Now for the tricky part: mounting the processor and heat sink to the motherboard. There are different ways of doing this, but I usually place the motherboard on its anti-static bag on its box at this point. Place the processor in its socket in the proper orientation and close the socket with the lever. Do not put any unnecessary force on the chip. If the socket does not want to close, do not force it.

Installing the heat sink has always made me nervous. If you’ve never done it before, it fits very tightly to the processor–so tight it is possible to crack the processor’s core if you’re not careful. Instead of explaining it in full detail, I’m going to recommend that you read the manual that came with your processor.

While the motherboard is still easily accessible, install the RAM by sliding each stick into its correct slot. Make sure you have the orientation correct. Also, if you are using a matched set, consult your motherboard’s manual to make sure you install the RAM in the proper slots.

Locate the orientation of the holes in your motherboard and line them up to the proper slots on your motherboard mounting plate. Insert standoffs into the mounting plate where they line up. Place the motherboard on top of the mounting plate. Screw the motherboard to the mounting plate using the motherboard mounting screws that came with your case.

Install the video card by placing it into its proper slot and making sure it snaps into place.

Slide the motherboard mounting plate (and motherboard with everything installed) back into the case. Screw the mounting plate to the case.

Connect the case fans, power supply, drives, and power/reset button cables to your motherboard. Once again, if you are unsure of where everything connects, consult your motherboard’s manual.

Replace the side of your case. Connect your mouse and keyboard. Plug in the power cord and connect your monitor.

Press the power button and cross your fingers. We’ll configure the BIOS in the next post.

• Intro
• Part I: The Parts
• Part II: The Build
• Part III: The Installation
• Part IV: The Bootloader
• Part V: FAQ

The basis of this guide started with a computer that I built in October 2006. If you already have a complete (and working) computer, you can skip this section.

My parts:

• Intel Core 2 Duo E6600
• Asus P5W DH Deluxe Motherboard
• Corsair TWIN2X2048-6400 2GB RAM
• XFX GeForce 7600 GT XXX Edition
• Fortron FSP FX600-GLN Power Supply
• DVD Burner
• 4 Hard Drives of various makes and sizes (3 WD SATA drives and 1 Seagate ATA drive)

A word on the processor.

I chose the E6600 at the time because it was what I needed at a price I was willing to pay. Are there better processors now? Yes. Will they provide the stability you need to run all three operating systems flawlessly? Not all of them. Check the OSx86 Wiki for the complete processor compatibility list. A good rule of thumb, however, is to stick with Intel if you are doing a fresh build.

A word on the motherboard.

Choosing the right motherboard is the most critical part of building a stable Hackintosh. A plain Windows computer can use any motherboard you buy, a Linux computer has some issues here and there with a few motherboards, but OS X is very picky. So choose a motherboard that is guaranteed to work. The P5W DH is a fantastic example, but you should also look at the OSx86 Wiki for a the complete motherboard list if you don’t want the recommended Asus motherboard. Asus is the company that builds many of the current Apple products, so you may want to stick with them when choosing a motherboard.

A word on the RAM.

Buy whatever gets good reviews, goes fast, and carries a cheap price tag. The Corsair sticks were heavily marked down when I bought them, but shop around and you can find some fantastic deals.

A word on the video card.

Like the RAM, the 7600GT was priced right and a great mainstream card. I’m slowly getting out of the computer gaming business, so it was more than enough power for me. However, if you want to really put a ton of video power in your build, go with an 8800GT with 512MB memory.

A word on the power supply.

Don’t cheap out on your power supply. Lots of cases come with crappy power supplies. Such supplies are guaranteed to break. I’ve built numerous PCs for friends and family and every time they’ve tried to save money by using the built in power supply, it has always failed within a year–sometimes taking down other components with it. Seriously, buy a good power supply like those from Fortron, Corsair, and other reputable brands. And before you make any purchase, use a power supply calculator to determine how much juice you need.

A word on the hard drives.

It’s entirely possible to do a triple boot if you only have one or two HDDs, but I tend to *collect* drives. From what I’ve read, partitioning a drive is actually easier when it comes to booting than having multiple drives, but when you’re operating with a single drive there is always that chance that you could lose all of your data.

A word on cost.

This is not the cheapest build you can buy, nor is it the most expensive–but while you may save a buck or two by going with other items, you may lose some compatibility with OS X and/or Linux. I’m mainly putting a build guide here for those who are looking for a computer that can run OS X, Vista and Linux perfectly. There was not a single problem with my build and all three operating systems work as flawlessly as they do on my MacBook and iMac.

A word on Wi-Fi.

The Asus P5W DH Deluxe has a nifty wireless antenna built in if you want to use it with your existing wireless network. Unfortunately, I’ve never had much luck with it. The range is poor, it drops connections like crazy, and it just wasn’t worth the time to set up. You can try if you are interested, but unless you are dying to make use of that wireless router of yours, just plug an ethernet cable into your desktop instead.

• Intro
• Part I: The Parts
• Part II: The Build
• Part III: The Installation
• Part IV: The Bootloader
• Part V: FAQ

So you’ve probably seen several of these guides to help you install OS X 10.5.2 on your computer. However, the goal of this guide is different. Far too many “how-tos” start with an already assembled computer–but not this one. I want to help you get your computer up and running, starting with just a pile of parts lying on a table.

Not only that, but what we’re looking for here is rock solid stability. What good is a computer if it crashes all the time? The target here is to build a triple booting computer that can stand up to weeks of use without requiring a reboot.

Is a tri-boot build practical? Not really. Is it challenging? Somewhat. Is it a good way to kill a weekend where you’ve got nothing else to do? Definitely.

The guide is broken into five parts: the parts, the build, the installation, the boot loader, and frequently asked questions. You can use the table of contents at the bottom of each post to navigate.

Disclaimer: A couple of things to point out. I do not condone software piracy. If you want a real Mac, go to an Apple store and purchase one. Furthermore, buy a legal copy of Vista (or XP). Building a Hackintosh was done only for the purpose of this guide, as I already own several other Macs. In other words–I just wanted to see just how easy it had become and share my experience with all of my readers.

Before you begin, you’ll need to acquire the collection of operating systems that you will be installing.

• Windows Vista (whatever flavor you want)
• Kalyway Leopard 10.5.1 intel SSE2 and SSE3
• Any Linux distro you’ve been wanting to try (I gave Linux Mint a shot, but I also recommend Ubuntu and openSUSE)

Burn the Kalyway Leopard image to a DVD and the Linux distro to a CD (or DVD). Hopefully you actually *bought* Vista. You’re done with the prep work.

And without any further ado, the table of contents:

• Intro
• Part I: The Parts
• Part II: The Build
• Part III: The Installation
• Part IV: The Bootloader
• Part V: FAQ

All in all, KDE application support for OS X and Windows is a great thing. New software to tinker with on platforms that most people are more accustomed to is absolutely fantastic. We’ve had cross-platform support for GIMP via GTK+, so it’s about time that we’re given access to apps like Amarok and Konqueror via Qt/Mac and Qt/Windows.

But here’s the problem with KDE on OS X. I can’t see replacing any programs I currently use on my Mac with their KDE equivalents. For one, the download for “everything” is currently 2.45GB. That’s a pretty massive download just to run a couple of small programs. Secondly, there is not a single KDE app that is better or more useful than native Mac apps. KMail is not going to replace Mail.app any time soon. KOffice, while a good substitute for NeoOffice and a no brainer for people using OpenOffice, is not a replacement for those of us who own iWork. Amarok is great for those who don’t own an iPod–but it won’t replace iTunes for the vast majority of users. Also, the KDE apps lack the integration with each other that many native Mac apps have. It’s so handy to load photos into iPhoto and use them later in Mail, Pages, or dozens of other programs.

On the flip side of the coin, KDE for Windows is where the action’s going to be. Amarok is a great option for those looking to escape from Windows Media Player while KOffice is certainly a fantastic option for those who don’t want to load up the bloated software that is OpenOffice. Kate instead of Notepad++ is wholly a personal decision, as is Dolphin instead of Explorer. As for Konqueror–everyone should stick with Firefox instead. Yes, as long as the developers can get the bugs out, there are plenty of good reasons to use KDE apps on Windows.

One interesting question is whether or not KDE support for Mac and Windows will detract people from switching to Linux. I think the opposite will be true. Just like how Firefox opened many people’s eyes to the power and possibilities that are inherent to open source software, KDE on OS X and Windows will open their eyes to just far open source software has come. With that knowledge, they may find they want to see what a fully open source operating system is like, first by dual booting Linux and then switching entirely. No, KDE on operating systems people already know and love is definitely a good thing for the open source community as a whole.

I’m looking forward to see how far this broad support for KDE goes by the time KDE 4.1 is released. There have been some excellent steps made in the right direction, and I can assume that the project will only get bigger, better, and more polished as time goes on.

Then came a post from Chris Wilson, the IE platform architect over at Microsoft. To sum it up, in said post he states that IE8 will render correctly in “standards mode” but still retain the same “quirks mode” from IE7. That’s all well and good. We get the tried and true rendering capabilities of IE7, which was certainly better than IE6, along with the supposedly better Internet Explorer 8 rendering engine. Sounds great, right?

But alas, the IE devs seem like they want to keep their feud against web developers going a bit longer. In order for a web page to render correctly following web standards, website designers and developers have to modify their meta information so that IE8 will play nice. Absolute garbage. Just make the super standards mode the default mode. Web standards are good–Microsoft needs to learn to go along with them. Such a decision to make the super standards mode the default would promote proper web coding and greatly reduce the need to test a site in multiple browsers.

On the positive side, the use of a meta tag to turn super standards mode on and off is better than forcing web designers to incorporate code in other parts of the site that could easily break something else on another browser. It’s still a tacky thing to do to web designers. The meta tag should have been used the other way around–to mark code that needs to be rendered in quirks mode IE7 style.

I suppose the real question here is how difficult is it to make a standards compliant rendering engine from the get-go. Safari and the rest of the WebKit based browsers have been able to pass the Acid2 test for years. Presto based browsers like Opera and the Internet Channel on the Nintendo Wii pass the test too. Even a “small” browser like Konqueror meets web standards. Firefox 3’s new version of the Gecko rendering engine can keep up with the standards just as well too. That’s practically every well known browser except for Internet Explorer. I would expect more effort from a company with an almost limitless budget like Microsoft. Cater to the customer–don’t make the customer cater to you.

Maybe it would be best if Microsoft just scrapped the Internet Explorer rendering engine and switched over to WebKit.