Effing MSNBC Home Page drops a "window shade" Flash ad the size of a KLEENEX BOX.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

I usually block ALL AD CONTENT in Firefox, but am using IE8 right now to test a client Website I'm working on. When you go to the MSNBC Home Page, they "serve" you a GI-NORMOUS, "window-shade" style Flash ad that takes up half the screen. Just goes to show that even the most annoying Web conventions die a slow death.

[HopeHoops]

1. E-FUCKING GADS! Stay the HELL away from "give me a virus" IE!

This has been a public service announcement.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

2. I have to use it

Firefox is my primary browser, but a big part of what I do for a living is design Websites, which means I've got to test them in all browsers. For personal surfing, I never use it. I just happened to click over to MSNBC while testing a page and went "Holy CRAP."

[HopeHoops]

3. Yeah, I have to use it for the same reason, but it never leaves sites I create. Too risky.

On Edit:

And IE is STILL a bitch when it comes to CSS. You would THINK they could have figured it out by now. They just don't give a shit. Firefox, Safari, Opera, all fine. IE - jump through a bunch of fucking hoops and scratch your asshole with your elbow and it MIGHT look okay, but not great.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

4. A couple of years ago I spent 2 days on an IE hack for something I put together in 2 hours

...semi-transparent DHTML drop-down menus. Tried "Suckerfish" and "Son of Suckerfish" and every CSS / DHTML solution I could get my hands on. Basically ended up with Suckerfish and several IE-specific hacks.

The main problem was that the client was using IE 6 and that's where all the problems resided. IE 7, looked OK. IE 6, whatta mess.