Re: More stupid basic questions

At 11:34 AM 6/24/00 +0300, Lauri V=E4inRpbg=3D=3D wrote:
[ . . .]
>I usually make 2 versions of my site. One will be pretty plain (tables,
>text, almost no images, no javascript nor any type of bells and whistles
>:-)). The other verison of the site will look a lot nicer (layers,
>JavaScript, images etc)
[ . . .]

I have a question I'll bet lots of newer developers out there in list land
are dying to know Mz. Lauri:

*Why* ?
It seems like two versions of the same content is an awful lot of work.

It seems to me like if user demographics supported using cutting edge
technology, given the "cost" (at least in my shop) to produce these
features it would *not* support (justify) catering to the lower end
browsers if your target audience was say . . . 28 - 40 professional, making
75 - $125,000.

To clarify by example . . . please:

Only two types of sites pop to mind that would "justify" tossing valid HTML
in the first place:

1) Gamers
2) On line merchandising (!sales!)

It is my OPINION that gamers are not going to be using NN 2.0 in the first
place. They are going to have the latest and greatest browsers to support
the things they have ~already~ decided they want to see and hear on-line.

On-line sales. A little grayer area for the customer demographics,
obviously the user agent (browser) expected is going to be based on what
type of merchandise is being offered. You are probably not going to get too
many low end browsers shopping for gold plated golf balls! I think the
common link regardless of the merchandise is going to be the "secure"
connection for payment processing, and the ability to run scripting (for
the shopping cart) If the client is going to offer these services on their
site. Neither of these functions work (reliably - if at all) in low end
browsers anyway.

SO . . .=20

1) I think this does an effective job of illustrating the _ necessity _ of
doing the demographic research thoroughly ~before~ you start coding.

2) Makes a wonderful argument FOR the use of valid HTML, and the ~strong~
avoidance of java script and browser specific code unless necessary - I
mean required - by the demographics.

Am I living in the dark ages or what?

TIA,
Fuzzy

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Captain F.M. O'Lary
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Member of the HTML Writers Guild and=20
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