How does IE8 handle this tag <meta http-equiv=“X-UA-Compatible” content=“IE=9” />

Question

I know <meta http-equiv=“X-UA-Compatible” content=“IE=9” /> will force IE9 to display a page in IE9 standard way. What I want to know is How does IE8 handle this tag ?

Render the page in a IE 8 standard mode or compatible mode? (Could not find any XP with IE8 around)

Answer 1

If a webpage specifies a document compatibility mode that is not supported by the version of Internet Explorer used to view the webpage, the webpage will be displayed in the highest document mode supported by that version of Internet Explorer. For example, a page that specifies IE9 mode will be displayed in IE8 mode when viewed by Internet Explorer 8. Earlier versions of the browser will use the directive, if any, to determine how to display the webpage.

From: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc288325(v=vs.85).aspx#Content