[WEB4LIB] Re: HTML Question - target="new"

[Daniel Messer]

Mark Pecaut <pecautm at missouri.edu> said:

> On Wed, Mar 14, 2001 at 01:13:56PM -0800, Daniel Messer wrote:
> > While I know there is a way to do this (I know for a fact that it can be 
done 
> > with Java) I would make one reccomendation. Forewarn people coming to 
your 
> > site that it's better to use IE to view it. I would do this if for no 
other 
> 
> I strongly disagree with this.  Telling your users which browser 
> to use is like saying 
> 
> `Welcome IE users!  Everyone Else Go Away!'
> 
> I can't use IE on my computer because I use Unix.  Sometimes I have
> problems with a particular website (such as www.janus.com), and
> I email the webmaster or whoever about it.  You know the attitude they 
> have?  `Sorry, we don't support Unix'  This is interpreted to mean
> `Use IE or Go Away', and is very insulting.

To be honest, I agree. However, designing a page to work with every possible 
browser that comes down the pipe is a tricky and time consuming process. 
IMHO, the way to do this is to have three versions of the HTML code and gear 
each one for those specific browsers. One for IE, one for Netscape, and one 
for say Mozilla. However, how many webmasters do you know that are going to 
take the time and trouble to construct and tweak three versions of source 
code to do the same thing? However I think some people missed the point of my 
recommendation. I said to state that IE is the BEST browser to view the page 
with. Nowhere in that did I say to state that IE was the ONLY browser that 
you could view the page with. I use all three of the aforementioned browsers, 
myself. Chances are I will continue to do so as long as their developers 
design browsers that will support specific coding not available in other 
browsers.

I don't blame you for being insulted though. But while I do have sympathy for 
the hound, I also understand the fox's point of view. Webmasters tend to 
specialize. Very few people are experts in all three fields of Linux 
browsers, IE, and Netscape. There's simply so much to learn.

Dan
-- 
The subject in question...
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Daniel Messer
Technologies Instructor
Yakima Valley Regional Library
dmesser at yvrls.lib.wa.us
509-452-8541 ext 712
102 N 3rd St  Yakima, WA  98901
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When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.
                                         -Hunter S. Thompson