Netscape vs Internet Explorer

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Netscape vs Internet Explorer

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Gil

Posts: 7533
From: North Carolina, USA
Status: offline

Netscape vs Internet Explorer - 4/10/2000 17:40:00

Netscape – Internet Explorer Compatibility

I see a lot of posts asking why this doesn’t work in Netscape or why does my page look different in Netscape. That’s to be expected, especially from “newbies”, most of who are using Front Page without bothering to learn HTML first.

I also see a lot of “Netscape Bashing”. I have nothing against “Bashing” Netscape, they have lost their way in my opinion and since Version 3 have been falling further and further behind IE. But that is not a excuse to feed misinformation to the “newbies” who come here for help. I hear a lot of “Netscape doesn’t support style sheets” – Not true, actually NN has about the same level of support for CSS1.2 as IE. Or’ “Netscape doesn’t do DHTML right.” – Again, not true, DHTML is just a combination of JavaScript and CSS. The difference in the way NN & IE address the DOM (Document Object Model) is where the problems occur.

A lot of the questions concerning the difference in NN & IE are table related. In this particular area, it is IE that is at fault. NN requires correct HTML code. IE: An open <TD> or a improperly nest set of tags {<TR><TD></TR></TD>} will cause NN to either not render anything or to render a mess. As it should be. IE on the other hand “anticipates” what the author really meant and renders it as if it were written that way. In my opinion this is wrong! A browser should not decide how an author wanted code, it should parse the code it is fed.

One thing I had a hard time getting used to was Front Page’s Microsoft proprietary way of writing code. IE: I would check “Zero Margins” and expect FP to take care of the code like Net Objects, Dreamweaver, Cold Fusion, Homesite, etc. do and write <BODY marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" topmargin="0" leftmargin="0"> but FP will only write the IE portion. [Since there is no HTML attribute to the BODY tag for margins, there is no standard].

Netscape & Internet Explorer will show valid HTML pretty much the same and in most cases exactly the same. It is using the proprietary tags of either that causes all of us extra work and headaches.

99% of the time the “problem” is not Netscape related, but HTML related. Bash Netscape for being “user unfriendly”, behind in XML support, slow, and other quirks – but don’t bash Netscape when the problem was caused by poorly written code.

------------------
Gil Harvey
"I keep hitting the 'escape' key - but I'm still here!!!"
Old Hippy Productions, Inc.
On-Line Credit Card Accounts

Thomas Brunt

Posts: 6214
Joined: 6/6/1998
From: St. Matthews SC USA
Status: offline

RE: Netscape vs Internet Explorer - 4/10/2000 18:12:00

Right on, but the issue often is not that Netscape supports or doesn't support css. It's that Netscape doesn't support the css that FrontPage writes.

The FP style button is not always friendly to Netscape. Use with caution.

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Thomas Brunt

(in reply to Gil)

Gil

Posts: 7533
From: North Carolina, USA
Status: offline

RE: Netscape vs Internet Explorer - 4/10/2000 18:27:00

quote:
Originally posted by Thomas Brunt:
It's that Netscape doesn't support the css that FrontPage writes.
The FP style button is not always friendly to Netscape. Use with caution.

Extreme caution

You're usually better off writing your own Style Sheets.

------------------
Gil Harvey
"It's hard to be nostalgic when you can't remember anything"
Old Hippy Productions, Inc.
On-Line Credit Card Accounts

(in reply to Gil)


Shirley Posts: 3127 Joined: 1/8/1999 From: Omaha, Ne USA Status: offline	RE: Netscape vs Internet Explorer - 4/10/2000 18:49:00 I agree! Every netscape problem I have had has turned out to be poor coding on my part.(I didn't check the frontpage code) The only exception is a java applet from intel that I never could get to work on netscape. If you accept the fact that your site will never be identical on all browsers it makes life alot easier. ------------------ Shirley I have not lost my mind - it's backed up on a disk somewhere. (in reply to Gil)

Spooky

Posts: 26681
Joined: 11/11/1998
From: Middle Earth
Status: online

RE: Netscape vs Internet Explorer - 4/11/2000 20:02:00

Nice topic Gil. Well done.

Hopefully some time in the future, we'll have a set of consistent standards. But I very much doubt it.
Theres too many web connection devices already, and its not going to improve, but PC's still have a long shelf life, like it or not.
Who's to say that in 5 yrs time, all of our schools will be able to run the latest 7 series browsers that comply with HTML 6.3?
Budgets may not allow them to upgrade their hardware and still afford to pay the yearly subscription fee that is required to run MS's latest OS.

Compatibility problems are going to be around for a long time yet........

(in reply to Gil)