Css

axer

Hey y'all,

Am thinking about learning CSS fully but I have some concerns. What version do of internet explorer do people generally program for. IE5+ or IE6+? Should I only programme in CSS1? Should all browsers support CSS1 at this stage or are there still many bugs?

Thanks for any help/advice,
Noel.

democrates

Css1 is fine for colors, borders etc on most browsers, but be prepared to spend lots and lots of time if you want to use it for page layout and have it display acceptably on different browsers on different operating systems - the differences are so bad that outcomes when users resize text can be commercially unacceptable. Css2 is partially implemented depending on browser, but css3 is rare, opera has begun support but I'm not sure about the rest, even IE7. Edit:see link below.

Personally until w3c get css working as easily as tables for layout and the browsers all support it as well as they do tables I'm sticking with tables for layout. I use an seperate template for accessibility which is designed for visually impaired and blind reader programs. I find that is faster to supply and more usable to each user group than a pure css one-size-fits-all.

Edit: Good day to ask the question!

axer

Thanks democrates. I think i will just stick with it for basic things like you said. I thought there was more support in browsers for it out there but it seems like that wont happen for a while.

democrates wrote:

Edit: Good day to ask the question!

good link.

democrates

Bear in mind mine is just one opinion and there are different ones out there.
Another handy link is w3schools and if you have patience w3c css1 spec.

As Hakon explained on that link, Microsoft fear the browser fulfilling Larry Ellisons predictions of a thin client, almost back to the mainframe days. W3C standards if implemented fully render Microsofts monopoly all but defunct, along with ODF. Technologically most applications can be supplied over the net.

Telcos are equally retarding the development of civilisation. Look at the trench war eircom wages to stall the land line network becoming available for competitors to provide broadband. The mobile companies are playing the same game. All we need is IP dial-tone regardless of the network, and let the user devices and service provider servers free reign around the edges. Instead we get a pricey version of IM called SMS, an extortionate version of voip called 'telephone calls', and so on. It's all about locking you in to their expensive and inferior versions of communication.

Same with MS avoiding css compliance. That said, the markets (private investors) want these companies to remain relevant. So if the gig is up on their retarding strategies, they need to be able to adapt, or senior managers face extinction.

That may all seem a bit off-topic for a simple css qeustion, but the truth is these are the kind of issues which dictate whether a 'De Jure' standard becomes a 'De facto' standard, and therefore whether it is a good career choice for you or I. Amazing isn't it! I came from an electronics background where IEEE standards ruled, but even that didn't stop the vhs/betamax war or today the blu-ray/hd-dvd war.

Bottom line IMHO is, css is here to stay, and I love it. By all means learn it, great career move, but beware the vagaries of industry players and the installed bases of their software when it comes to saleable solutions. There's a complex gap between what the standards allow, and what the browser makers deliver.