Lincoln Dunn writes: >Dan, you're right that good code makes a big difference, but with all due >respect, if I had half of my traffic coming from windows boxes, I'd be >damned sure to test my designs in the appropriate browsers on that platform.
Sorry, I'm not going to buy a Windows computer just for that. I did look at LEM on one of those kiosks at the mall a few months back -- everything looked fine. >Blind reliance on any browser to render style sheets (just because they're >standards-compliant) and plain ol' HTML is really dangerous. You can design >using ultra-compliant code. Then check it in NN 4.0 and see how well it >adheres to standards. :-) Low End Mac uses CSS but doesn't rely on it. It's designed to degrade nicely. >But then you say.... > >> The key to success is testing before you post your page -- and testing >> widely. That's how I discovered which CSS makes both Netscape and IE >> happy and which ways of specifying font size worked between browsers vs. >> those that were inconsistent. > >So you *do* or you *don't* test? I'm confused. I don't test every page. I don't test every change. I do test when I'm experimenting with changes -- a lesson I learned the hard way when I tried to use CSS to control the indent on bullet lists. IE and Netscape handled that very differently, and I had to abandon the experiment. And I figure that if something looks really attrocious on Windows, someone will write. But now that I've learned what works, I don't do much testing at all. I've fiddled with link colors to help colorblind readers, but that's about it for testing modifications over the past half year or so. >>> If you build a site that only looks good on a Mac.... >> >> If you do that, you're a fool. If you need that level of control, skip >> HTML and use PDF files or Flash so you can really control the user's >> experience. HTML isn't about tight control; it's about flexibility. > >No, usually you're just inexperienced. It takes a long time to get used to >the intricacies of web development. Inexperienced designers shouldn't be allowed to post pages to the Web. ;-) Okay, you've gotta learn, but the key to good HTML design is just the opposite of good print design -- flexible design, not tight control. That's the lesson anyone teaching Web design should hammer home. Some users have small screens. Make it flexible. Some users have huge screens. Make it flexible. Some users don't have color. Make it flexible. Some users run Windows, some Macs, some *nix. Make it flexible. If you look at the source of Low End Mac, you'll find that we never specify the width of the main text box, allowing it to flow to fit the browser window of our visitor. We also don't specify size in pixels, points, inches, or any other absolute measure, allowing the site to display in whatever default font size the visitor chooses -- and enabling the "larger" and "smaller" buttons to do their job. >The bottom line, afaic, is know your audience, and make damned sure you >generate the best possible experience for them. And Dan, I think for the >most part you're correct -- designs need to be flexible. Standards are there >for a reason, and we need to do our best to adhere to them. Sometimes, >however, based on our visitors, we need to make compromises. > >I definitely don't consider myself to be the expert in all this stuff, so >feel free to trash anything I've said above. Cheers! :-) I don't even know HTML, but I have a strong background in visual design and photography, and I know how I think the Web should work. Low End Mac has been a real learning experience. Reader feedback quickly taught me to test before adopting new technologies and try to have as little control as possible over final output. (And we've even tried to make the design disability friendly by putting the main text ahead of the navigation links, trying to remember to ALT tag every picture, etc.) Dan Knight, president, Cobweb Publishing, Inc. <http://cobwebpublishing.com> <http://lowendmac.com> <http://digital-views.com> <http://digigraphica.com> <http://lowendpc.com> <http://reformed.net> "You can't brew a premium lager with a kool-aid mentality." -- The Red Green Show -- Mac Canada is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Shop Canadian, visit Mantek Services <http://www.mantek.mb.ca> Low Prices That Will Keep YOU and Your MAC Smiling Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> Mac Canada info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/mac-can.shtml> Send list messages to: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/mac-canada%40mail.maclaunch.com/> Using a Mac? Free email & more at Applelinks! http://www.applelinks.com
