Re: Start with HTML or XHTML? (slightly OT)

Look at the history of the Web.  It doesn't stand still.  It evolves
rapidly.

That's the foundation of my concern, and the reason my shop is moving
forward with HTML and CSS.

The Web will not continue to use the older code just because I don't want to
learn the newer code.  We aren't in a business where we have the luxury of
resting on our laurels.  The day you stop learning new things is the day you
are left behind.

Also, XHTML is easier for my programming applications to parse and is a
neater and more logical way of coding a document.  Sure, we have plenty of
errors and issues with CSS across different platforms.  Still, they will
fade away as our skill increases, and we will be more versatile for having
learned the new ways.

We don't artificially inflate prices.  As a matter of fact, our prices are
considered low-to-fair, based on feedback I have gotten from my clients.

The clients want CSS effects, DHTML and more complex dynamic sites.  Almost
everything we do is database-driven and controlled by server-side scripting.
CSS and XHTML is an enormous improvement over older HTML from the standpoint
of organization and centralization.

XHTML is very basic and solid...much cleaner and easier to debug than older
HTML because there's less to it and because it's more structured.  CSS is
another case entirely, and there are indeed plenty of platform-specific
issues arriving with it.  Still, this isn't the first time we've faced that
situation and I'm sure we'll sort it out as we always have.

I don't "talk them (the clients) into" using anything.  I simply tell them
what I can do and for what price, as anyone here does.  The client decides
whether they want what I offer.  I am never less than completely honest with
the discussion, including offering older HTML if that's what they wish.  I
can code in HTML 3.2 as fluently as I can in XHTML or JavaScript or PHP or
Perl or C.  I do recommend XHTML, because I believe it is a superior markup
language.  That's just my opinion, of course...:)

D


----- Original Message -----
From: <cbirds(at)earthlink.net>


Usually $ drives things, yes, but I would think that customers who want
the most for their money would balk at your extra cost that is incurred
by your using "strict" whateveitis and that it also prevents other users
from seeing it. What is the point of doing that? That is charging more
for less. It isn't extra work to use good solid basic code that can be
seen by everyone.

HWG hwg-techniques mailing list archives, maintained by Webmasters @ IWA