Browser differences within <PRE> tags...

I am in the process of converting some documents, and have come across yet
another inconsistency between platform web browsers.  My question is, which
way of interpretation is correct?

Below is the HTML in question, note the <B> formatting within the <PRE> tags:

<H4>Item No. 1: R&D Expenditures by Source</H4>
<PRE>
<B>                                                Fiscal Year
Line                                      72-77    78     79-92
</B>
1100     Total                              A       D       A
1110     Federal Government                 A       D       A
1125     State and Local Governments        A       D       A
1150     Industry                           A       D       A
1160     Institutional Funds                A       D       A
1161     Separately Budgeted                -       D*      A*
1162     Underrecovery/Cost Sharing         -       D*      A*
1175     All Other Sources                  A       D       A

NOTE: Line 1125 = sum of lines 1120 and 1130 in FY 77 and earlier years;
      Line 1175 = sum of lines 1140 and 1170 in FY 77 and earlier years.

<B>Column</B>

1       Total R&D                           A       D       A
2       Basic Research                      A*      -       A*

NOTE: Column 2 is available only for line 1100 and 1110.

* <I>Confidential data are not shown on public-use files.</I>
</PRE>
<P>


The windows Mosiac and Cello browsers maintain the spacing within the <PRE>
tags and merely bold the required text. The AirMosaic demo sort of
maintains the spacing, but the process of bolding creates bigger
characters, and distorts the symmetry somewhat.

Lynx also maintains the spacing within the <PRE> tags, and merely
underlines the bolded text.

However, on the Mac, both Mosaic 2.0a2 and MacWeb0.98a do not maintain the
spacing within the <B> tags which are nested within the <PRE> tags at all,
and apparently revert to regular HTML spacing rules.

I tried xmosaic 2.1, and it did maintain the <PRE> spacing for the bolfded
text either, but I'm not sure about its font specifications.

The question is: which is the "correct" way of interpreting this?  Being
able to mark up text within <PRE> or <PLAINTEXT> tags would help alleviate
some of HTML's formatting limitations.


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John Lewis                    |          Space Activism Page
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Received on Friday, 1 July 1994 15:24:54 UTC