« Web Design and Cross browser compatibility »
Introduction
Oh yes. Your website took the team a month to design, another month to impliment. It rocks, it sings, it also looks like the dogs dinner on the platforms you forget to test it on!
For some spotty student in Bognor Regis doing a Blog it won't make tuppence difference; for me, really, it doesn't matter. However for a multi-national e-commerce project, you'd better hope that the CEO is using the same browser as you are, hmmm.
It's a given that some people are using ancient browsers with no support for even the basics like CSS...
What to do?
Tough call - not!
Basically to anyone using Netscape 4x and older browsers, the entire web looks like pavement pizza's, and I for one wouldn't destroy the design of a site for the sake of the pitiful few who can't or won't upgrade their browser.
Actually, and this surprised me, there's scores of different browsers about - I've a link to them all somewhere. Realistically however, you have about half a dozen on three main platforms covering something like 99.999% or greater. I'll get the stats another day.
These include:
- Windows - Internet Explorer, Netscape, Opera, Mozilla and Lynx (text only)
- Linux - Konquerer, Netscape, Mozilla and Lynx (text only)
- Macintosh - Safari, Internet Explorer (support halted), Netscape, Opera, Mozilla and MacLynx (text only)
- (I'll ignore mobile web phones etc for the present).
It also depends on your target audience. As a vague catch-all, techies, tinkers and programmers are inclined towards Linux, musicians and arty types the Apple Mac and the other ninety odd percent of the world have Windows, generally with IE.
I manually tested Ackadia with a number of different browsers, though I was a tad beggered as I neither have nor want a Mac. Corporates have no excuse but for the small web designer, what to do? Luckily, I found the answer on my travels:
Browsercam
Browsercan will preview your pages in a host of browsers from Safari on the Mac to Netscape on Redhat Linux to Opera Windows 2000 - with and without flash support in a number of cases
That's that sorted? Umm, more or less. Besides text only, support for blind and disabled people, there's one more consideration. Paranoid users! I'll let you lot play with the settings, the bigger you are, the more you have to do, eh. Get the kettle on, it's going to be a long night!
You have your checklist of browsers and platforms and everything is peachy. Have you also checked for...
- ActiveX and related turned off
- Javascript disabled
- Images disabled
- CSS turned off
- Where appropriate, have you also allowed for alternative CSS's, especially for visually impaired users ?
Linux:
Konquerer v3.5 looks fine ...
[ Konquerer v3.5 at 800x600 ] and
[ Konquerer v3.5 at 1024x768 ]
Mozilla v1.1 looks fine ...
[ Mozilla v1.1 at 800x600 ] and
[ Mozilla v1.1 at 1024x768 ]
Mozilla v1.3 looks fine ...
[ Mozilla v1.3 at 800x600 ] and
[ Mozilla v1.3 at 1024x768 ]
Netscape v4.8 is messed up due to lack of CSS support...
[ Netscape v4.8 at 800x6008 ] and
[ Netscape v4.8 at 1024x768 ]
Netscape v7.0 looks fine ...
[ Netscape v7.0 at 800x600 ] and
[ Netscape v7.0 at 1024x768 ]
Mac:
Internet Explorer v5.2 looks fine ...
[ Mac IE v5.2 at 800x600 ]
Note: I believe MS support for the Mac platform has ceased.
Mozilla v1.1 looks fine ...
[Mac Mozilla v1.1 at 1024x768 ]
Netscape v4.8, as ever, messed up for lack of CSS support ...
[ Mac Netscape v4.8 at 800x600 ] and
[ Mac Netscape v4.8 at 1024x768 ]
Netscape v7.0 looks fine ...
[ Mac Netscape v7.0 at 800x600 ]
Opera v6.0 looks fine ...
[ Opera v6.0 at 800x600 ] and
[ Opera v6.0 at 1024x768 ]
Safari v1.0 looks fine ...
[ Safari v1.0 at 800x600 ] and
[ Safari v1.0 at 1024x768 ]
Windows:
Windows 98 and IE v4.0 looks fine ...
[ W98 and IE v4 at 800x600 ] and
[ at 1024x768 ]
Windows 2000 and AOL v7.0 looks fine ...
[ W2K and AOL v7 at 800x600 ] and
[ W2K and AOL v7 at 1024x768 ]
Windows 2000 and IE v5.0 looks fine ...
[ W2K and IE v5.0 at 800x600 ] and
[ W2K and IE v5.0 at 1024x768 ]
Windows 2000 and IE v5.5 looks fine ...
[ W2K and IE v5.5 at 800x600 ] and
[ W2K and IE v5.5 at 1024x768 ]
Windows 2000 and IE v6.0 looks fine ...
[ W2K and IE v6.0 at 800x600 ] and
[ W2K and IE v6.0 at 1024x768 ]
Windows 2000 and Mozilla v1.3 looks fine ...
[ W2K and Mozilla v1.3 at 800x600 ] and
[ W2K and Mozilla v1.3 at 1024x768 ]
Windows 2000 and Netscape v4.78 ... again, poor CSS support wrecks the page...
[ W2K and Netscape v4.78 at 800x600 ] and
[ W2K and Netscape v4.78 at 1024x768 ]
Windows 2000 and Netscape v6.2 looks fine ...
[ W2K and Netscape v6.2 at 800x600 ] and
[ W2K and Netscape v6.2 at 1024x768 ]
Windows 2000 and Netscape v7.0 looks fine ...
[ W2K and Netscape v7.0 at 800x600 ] and
[ W2K and Netscape v7.0 at 1024x768 ]
Windows 2000 and Opera v6.05 looks fine ...
[ W2K and Opera v6.05 at 800x600 ] and
[ W2K and Opera v6.05 at 1024x768 ]
Windows XP Pro and IE v6.0 looks fine ...
[ XP Pro and IE v6 at 1024x768 ]
Windows XP Pro and IE v6.0 is usable with images and CSS disabled, but not a pretty sight ...
[ XP Pro and IE v6 - no CSS - at 1024x768 ]
Windows XP Pro and Mozilla v1.4 looks fine ...
[ XP Pro and Mizilla v1.4 at 1024x768 ]
Windows XP Pro and Netscape v7.1 looks fine ...
[ XP Pro and Netscape 7.1 at 1024x768 ]
Windows XP Pro and Opera v7.11j looks fine ...
[ XP Pro and Opera 7.11j at 1024x768 ]
[ Windows XP Pro and Lynx v2.8.5 ] is not pleasant, but usable in an emergency. Ummmm!
A lot of the above where taken with the aid of Browsercam
If you are interested in cross-browser compatibility, then you really should give it a try.
You might also want to read my CSS-XHTML Test page for June 2003 as well as my comments on the latest revision, it gives examples of Ackadia in different browsers, with CSS completely disabled and with CSS-2 disabled, but CSS-1 allowed.
On the links side, you might find Cari D. Burstein's "Viewable With Any Browser" campaign website of use. I'll put in a few more as and when I find then, and remember...
Paul 
