Enterprise Mode For Internet Explorer 11

With each release of Internet Explorer since IE 4 we have worked hard to make sure that ScriptX not only retains full compatibility but also takes advantage of new features; for example the introduction of print templates in IE 5.5 or the introduction of scale to fit printing in IE 7.

A new release of Internet Explorer has often required a new release of ScriptX to ensure fully correct behaviour but it has never been the case that you could not update your browser because there was no available version of ScriptX to work with the new browser.

During our years of working with Internet Explorer the worst release from our point of view has been IE8. Don't get us wrong, here at MeadCo we have always liked Internet Explorer and have always enjoyed working with the IE team - though that has led to some robust exchanges at times! So 'worst' does not to us mean 'of a bad bunch' but the worst of a long line of excellent browsers that provide us with an ability to offer remarkable levels of control over the printing process. The particular problem of IE 8 is what we like to call 'blank page syndrome'.

The IE 8 Problem

'Blank page syndrome' (BPS) only occurs in IE 8; it does not occur with any other IE release. As a user of ScriptX you won't know about it unless you are one of the unlucky ones who has been unknowingly afflicted and you upgrade your browser and find that printing is now faster.

BPS is a randomly intermitttent fault that when it strikes means that a few, or many, attempts have to be made to print a page; eventually the page appears but in worst case scenarious it takes a noticable time for the print to complete.

The solution

A solution is to upgrade to IE 9 or later but for many customers this is not an option. We are aware that for a number of very valid reasons many customers decide to, or have to, standardise on IE8, even when migrating an organisation to Windows 7 or even Windows 8.1.

We strongly recommend you take a look at the Enterprise Mode for Internet Explorer 11 - it works like IE 8 but it isn't and doesn't have BPS.

To re-iterate, there is no need to require a specific version of IE for a LOB web application because of ScriptX - ScriptX will work with all versions of IE in all document modes but there may well be other factors that have mandated IE 8.

Many compatibilty issues are known to be only partially resolved by compatibility mode available in previous versions of IE. It is hoped and anticipated by Microsoft that Enterprise Mode for IE 11 will resolve these remaining issues and so allow an enterprise to deploy Internet Explorer 11 and maintain compatibilty with older applications.

ScriptX works with Enterprise Mode for Internet Explorer 11. Lastest versions of ScriptX maintain support for old versions of the browser so if you have several applications with different levels of browser compatibility, install the latest ScriptX and you will be good to go with all of them.

Stay up to date with Enterprise Mode for Internet Explorer 11

To learn more about Enterprise mode we recommend starting at the IE Team Blog entry introducing Enterprise Mode. From there many resources are availlable.

Happy upgrading.