Re: Another CSS question

by Jim Tom Polk <jtpolk(at)austin.rr.com>

 Date:  06 Aug 2002 15:51:13 -0500
 To:  "hwg-basics(at)mail.hwg.org" <hwg-basics(at)mail.hwg.org>
  todo: View Thread, Original
>>>>>
As I posted yesterday, I'm working on my first CSS site. Thanks to the
help of those on this list, I've come to the conclusion that people
using earlier versions of Netscape will simply not be able to view the
site (until I can create a mirror site for them). So, I need to post ome
kind of notice onthe site notifying people of this.
<<<<<

May I suggest that the important thing is that they can access the
information. People using older browsers, for whatever reason, are used
to having problems with how web sites look. However, one of the great
irritations is when they are BLOCKED from viewing a web site.

Again, let them access the information, and don't worry about the looks
and mirrors and popups and the like.

>>>>>
Also, if people come to a site that looks like a jumbled mess, are they
going to take the time to scroll through the page to find such a
message?
<<<<<

Sure, if it is done right. I have not looked at your web site, but using
CSS you could put the notice into a DIV element, then position it at the
bottom of the page or even make it invisible. 

With a little server side parsing (not client side JavaScript - not
reliable) of the browser id string, it would be simple to include the
style that would hid the message from all the newer browsers, yet reveal
it to older browsers where the CSS could make a jumble of the page.

But I guess the bottom line is to see if you can make the page less
jumble-ly, to make the CSS degrade better, then make sure people with
older browsers know you ain't an idiot, and then finally to insure that
they can access the information.

I get so bloody tired of web sites that do this so badly. I use a very
light weight browser (light on chrome) called galeon, which is based on
the gecko rendering engine. It IS Mozilla, but just with differnet
chrome. Then I go to a site, and wham, can't even get into it, can't see
it, cannot do diddly squat.

Hmm, so I fire up Mozilla, and HEY --> there is the web site!

Oh, but then if Mozilla cannot get in, I'll fire up Netscape 6.2, which
is an earlier version of Mozilla, and hey, I can see the web page!!

Being the obsessive compulsive that I am, I inspect the page, and about
9 times out of 10, there is ABSOLUTELY no reason, other than bad coding
and programming.

rant time="end" period="short"

later...






-- 


Jim Tom Polk -:- jtpolk(at)austin.rr.com 
"You might as well fall flat on your face 
 as lean over too far backwards."         - James Thurber
"The Universe is run by the complex interweaving of three 
  elements: energy, matter and enlightened self-interest."
     		                      - G'Kar  "Survivors"

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