[WEB4LIB] Re: Netscape 6 is out

[Tony Barry]

At 7:12 AM -0800 15/11/2000, David Merchant wrote:
>>Design to an html standard not to a browser.
>
>Except not all browsers follow html standards, and I really don't 
>know of one that follows every single html standard. And then there 
>are the defacto standards that aren't html standard but which most 
>browsers will accept.  If we are coding for the widest audience 
>possible, including underdeveloped nations, then we need to design 
>with browser differences in mind.


Not so. If you avoid bleeding edge technology and stick to html 3.2 
you can't go to far wrong.

>   And, even with html standards, each browser, each browser version 
>(including the different platform types), can interpret the html 
>standards differently.


They will do this regardless of what you do. What needs to be 
abandoned is the idea that the author/publisher controls the 
appearance. Even if you are designing to a specific browser the user 
of that browser might decide to override your font choice, suppress 
images and turn off scripting. Ulimately the reader is in control of 
the appearance not the author/publisher.

>When creating a word document, I have to keep in mind there are 
>lower version numbers out there that may not be able to read mine 
>made in the latest-greatest(?) version and so need to save it as a 
>lower version to make it accessible by the largest possible numbers 
>of  users.


I wish more people did this :-( Better still I wish more people 
didn't use word but used html.

>   The web is worst than that and will remain so for quite some time. 
>Unless you don't care about the minority of users coming in with 
>older browsers (and sometimes that minority is a large minority), 
>then code for html standards, or code for just one or two main 
>browsers.  The harsh reality of coding for the wide and general 
>public is that you will have to keep different browsers in mind when 
>coding, that the web is a more fluid environment, always in flux, a 
>moving target.  Because of that we dearly wish for one browser, one 
>standard, one way of coding to make our lives easier.  But that, 
>unfortunately, is a mirage.

I think the reverse. Because of the flux and differences you can't 
cater for all browser but MUST stick to a standard. That way you can 
be sure the content can be rendered even if you may not be happy with 
the rendition on all browsers. If you use browser specific tags you 
KNOW it will look different . At least with a standard you have some 
chance of it being readable.

In  some ways the text should be - Is the page readable in a text 
only browser like lynx? If it is you have done a good job.


Jakob Nielsen. Jakob Nielsen's Alertbox for May 1996: Top Ten 
Mistakes in Web Design. http://www.useit.com/alertbox/9605.html is 
worrth a read. Still good after 4 years.

Tony

-- 
phone  +61 2 6241 7659
mailto:me at Tony-Barry.emu.id.au
http://purl.oclc.org/NET/Tony.Barry

On Aboriginal Policy
"And if governments will not act, then this is a matter on which
people must act to secure a government that will.The dignity and
self esteem of Australia at some point will demand it."

Malcolm Fraser 24 Aug 2000