Re: CSS and Netscape

----- Original Message -----
From: "Thor Larholm" public-evangelist-w3@jscript.dk

[Significant user base using Netscape 4]
> Give up Netscape 4 or give up standards.

When it is noticed that a fair chunk of revenue comes from Netscape 4
visitors, the above choice is a no-brainer, and standards lose out. Is the
best way of advocating standards a typical brusque "take it or leave it"?

Taking the importance of the Netscape 4 audience there are two ideas that
are not of the best quality:
1.) Tough, go away
2.) Get a better browser

A more practical and pragmatic approach would be to accept that catering for
Netscape 4 is a prime requirement, and also to accept that standards based
authoring is the best way forward.

Taking a workable technique as described by
http://www.chipcom.net/searchengine1.php which is essentially delivering a
fully standards compliant website to all user agents, with the exception of
Netscape 4, give it what it wants.

The upshot of this technique is that there is no significant overhead in
catering for Netscape 4, no overhead in aiming for standards compliancy
where it is important, and no brusque discrimination against browser users.

When the time comes that Netscape 4 ceases to be a problem, switching of the
NN4 browser sniff (sniffing by exception only) leaves a fully standards
compliant website, plus the infrastructure to deliver content in means other
than HTML and XHTML.

Treat Netscape 4 as the exception it is, not by pretending it isn't
important to visitors.

Received on Friday, 30 August 2002 05:54:53 UTC