The Web Standards Project, a coalition of web developers and users, has denounced Microsoft's IE5.5 Windows browser for "focusing on proprietary technologies which are certain to fragment the already-troubled Web space".

The group, who only last month praised Microsoft for the quality of CSS implementation in Macintosh IE5, are having trouble understanding the apparent anomaly in Microsoft's commitment to standards support. Jeffrey Zeldman, leader of the WaSP group:

We are incensed by Microsoft's arrogance, and perplexed by its schizophrenic decision to support standards on one platform while undercutting them on another.

The group was "outraged" by the continuing lack of full DOM Core Level 1 and CSS1 support, exasperated by Microsoft's neglect of standards they helped to create. Zeldman accused IE5's creators of "predatory" behavior:

Coming on the heels of Netscape's preview release, it's hard not to view this as exactly the kind of 'predatory' behavior the U.S. Justice Department laid at Microsoft's door. If Microsoft, as the dominant player, undercuts Web standards on its prevailing Windows platform, developers will be helplessly spun in Microsoft's direction, killing the dream of a Web that is accessible to everyone.

Related story: ZDNet reports on Internet Explorer: Will Microsoft lose rights to Internet Explorer?. Update: this story has since been removed from ZD's site. Here's why.

Disclosure: Simon St.Laurent, quoted in the WaSP press release, is also a contributing editor to xmlhack.