[Skip to Contents]

Browsers

Introduction :

Browsers are software programs used to view web pages. Netscape, Opera, Internet Explorer are just a few of a wide variety of browsers. An extensive list of current and legacy browsers can be found at evolt.org [Open link in new browser window.]

The large range of browsers in use can cause headaches for web designer. Older browsers are not standard compliant. Many browsers use proprietory non-standard tags for mark-up. Some browsers are not able to handle style sheets or scripts. Some users turn off javascript or graphics in their browsers for a number of reasons - one being that screenreader users get quickly confused by javascript tricks. Text-only browsers, although often dismissed, are also in widespread use, especially by users of screen readers and similar technologies. All this means that a website is viewed and displayed in a number of ways, sometimes becoming unrecognizable from the carefully laid out design of the creator.

For this reason it is important to create web pages that 'degrade' or 'transform gracefully' [?], which means that the content makes sense under all conditions and using any technology.

[You can learn how to design for cross-browser compatibility in the Techniques section. Start with the chapter about Standards.]

Browser statistics :

Website log files can be analyzed for information about the browsers used by visitors to the site. It is good to know who your audience is.

Examples:

Browser compatibility guides and charts :

Web designers have to be careful in their use of proprietory code that works only in certain browsers, and in their use of new techniques that might not be supported by older browsers. Fortunately browser charts exist that list which techniques are supported by which browser:

Webmonkey Reference: Browser Chart [Open link in new browser window.]

Webreview: Style Sheet Reference Guide [Open link in new browser window.] by Eric A. Meyer

WebTV :

The TV as gateway to the Internet has some serious limitations, from colour range to screen width. The TV screen is 380 by 540 and while up-and-down scrolling is possible, there is no horizontal scrolling.

Webmonkey: Getting Your Site Ready for WebTV [Open link in new browser window.] (1998)

Webreference: WebTV Design Guide For Webmasters [Open link in new browser window.]

Learn more :

More useful links can be found on the resource page.

Related Issues

[ Browsers ]
[ Usability ]
[ Writing for the web ]
[ Information Architecture ]
[ Submitting documents for web publication ]
[ XHTML ]

| Access Guide Home | Table of Contents | Definitions | Glossary |