That's what `box-sizing: border-box` is! You can't just change the default because that would break existing websites and the W3C's box model was adopted by every other browser.
If individual vendors mess up when implementing the spec from the standards body (which they are a member of) then they should have to clean up their own mess. IE did eventually change the default in IE6 and added quirks mode for compatibility with websites designed for <IE6.
Even if the majority of people preferred the IE5.5 box model, it didn't follow the spec and it is therefore wrong. We have standards specifications on the web to maintain cross-browser compatibility; if browser vendors don't follow them then whats the point?
Even if the majority of people preferred the IE5.5 box model, it didn't follow the spec and it is therefore wrong
Specs should standardize what's generally considered a good idea. They are not written in stone and have no value in and on itself. If IE's old model was consensually better (and I'm not sure it was), the spec should have changed, not the other way around.
After all these years writing CSS, I'm very biased and it's hard to evaluate which is better. I was aware of border-box, but I thought it was Webkit only. Though I probably won't make the switch altogether, I'm glad to know we have a choice.
