Compatibility View

The other day, I had to change the database connection information for a reporting server. Somewhat to my surprise, the configuration programs on the server itself did not all me to change that. So I pointed Internet Explorer to the server URL, http://abc.hq.def.org. It let me log in, but when I tried to go to the administrative section of the site, I got odd Javascript errors. I tried Firefox and Chrome, which did not give me errors, but also gave me no administrative section. At that point, I remembered that Internet Explorer reverts to older behavior (Compatibility View) when the URL has no domain extension. I went into the Internet Services Manager on the server, and added the domain-less name to those that the site would serve. Then Internet Explorer logged me in automatically, I got no more Javascript errors, and was able to correct the database connection information.

I believe that it was a consultant who set up this server in the first place, and why and how he set it up IIS not to serve the domain-less name I can't guess. Probably I had never logged on through the web interface, for the menus and connection strings were unfamiliar. I wonder when corporate networks will be freed from the need for IE 7 compatibility, and what pain the change will inflict.