Compatability

jamieh

Hi all,

Quick question....

As a web developer, what can you do to ensure compatibility with the largest number of browsers? What techniques and tools are at your disposal?

p

jamieh wrote: »

Quick question....

As a web developer, what can you do to ensure compatibility with the largest number of browsers? What techniques and tools are at your disposal?

ermmm... testing & experience?

There's no magic wand, it's just something you learn as you go along. Dreamweaver has a compatibility mode that can suggest some CSS methods that may cause incompatibilities but it's not something I'd rely on.

The Mighty Ken

jamieh wrote: »

Hi all,

Quick question....

As a web developer, what can you do to ensure compatibility with the largest number of browsers? What techniques and tools are at your disposal?

Following Web standards and best practice is the best rule of thumb for the time being. Any sites I develop will generally work across all contemporary browsers and I'll always double check. Obviously I have to make exceptions and introduce s**tty hacks for non-browsers like IE6 but in a few years time, that won't be an issue.

With any luck, CSS3 will be supported across all modern browsers in a few years time and then everyone will be on a level playing field. The only real concern is the fact that *real* standards such as HTML 5 won't be actual standards for another 15 years or so. Worrying.

p

The Mighty Ken wrote: »

With any luck, CSS3 will be supported across all modern browsers in a few years time and then everyone will be on a level playing field. The only real concern is the fact that *real* standards such as HTML 5 won't be actual standards for another 15 years or so. Worrying.

Hopefully we won't still be coding HTML in 15 years though!

Evil Phil

Myself I generally get it working in Firefox then test it in Opera, Safari, IE7 etc and make what ever changes I have to make to get everything uniform. Then I use conditional comments to include a seperate stylesheet with my ie6 hacks.

CuLT

p wrote: »

Hopefully we won't still be coding HTML in 15 years though!

Yes, one hopes thjat in 15 years, robots will be coding for us in metaspeak (the new ubiquitous, omnipurpose world/computing language) as we sit aloft our floating skyscrapers in metatropolis, stroking our wizard-like beards in contemplation of the next great conquest, programming BACKWARDS THROUGH TIME in order to deliver projects before the client even thinks of it.

We will also wear sunglasses all the time. No exceptions.

Perhaps I am losing the run of myself though.

Brian

I'm writing a script in Python to do all that right now, actually.