Microsoft has undertaken the task of evaluating leading Web browsers to determine which ones work properly with JavaScript. The list of examinees includes IE, Firefox 2.0.0.5, Opera 9.0.2 and Safari 3.0 (Windows version). According to the company, it will release a report for each browser highlighting where each application fails to meet the JavaScript standard.

Microsoft states that its goal is to identify "de facto compatibility conventions" to improve JavaScript, while critics view the move as the first step in forcing the JavaScript standard to change in favor of Microsoft's implementation of it. This is a real possibility, since all browsers implement the JavaScript standard differently and Microsoft's Internet Explorer has the largest installed user base.