Knowledge of HTML

Most web Authors agree that the biggest challenge in web design is dealing with the variety of browsers and platforms, each with its own support and implementation of HTML and scripting elements. Features and capabilities improve with each new major browser release, but that doesn't mean the older versions just go away. The general public tends not to keep up with the latest and the greatest ...many are content with what they are givien , and many others may be using the computers of a company or institution that chooses a broswer for them.

So the question is, how do you develop web pages that are aesthetically and technically intriguing without alienating those in your audience with older broswers? Pages that are designed for a variety of browsers need not be boring or incompatable. Although some compromises may have to be made it is quite possible to maintain a good design and remain compatible with most browers. You must ask yourself: How many different browser versions do I need to cater to?

This first tutorial is based on statistics that can be found on the web in a variety of places. There are no absolute rules that must be followed. You, as the designer have the freedom to answer all of these questions as you see fit, whether the end product is for you own personal enjoyment or for a paying client. Always remember that the key to designing a good website is knowing your audience and the browser technologies they will be using to view your pages.

Browsers

The broswer market is dominated by two major browsers: Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet explorer. These two major browsers make up the bulk (about 90%) of the current browsers in use. Other broswers such as the Opera browser make up the rest of the browsers in use. All browsers offer their own unique blend of capabilities and shortcomings. For the purposes of this tutorial these attributes need not be discussed.

This much needs to be said: As of the writing of this tututorial Microsoft's Internet Explorer is the most versatile and feature packed of browsers in its latest release. This is true although Microsoft continues to create browsers which dont necessarily conform with the rules and regulations dictated by the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium). This means that the latest version of Internet Explorer will probably be able to handle any code you present it with no matter the quality of the code, this is not written in stone however, you must always be aware of the quality of your code; spelling and syntax errors etc. This also means that Netscape Navigator and other less popular browsers will require you to do more research to remain consistant accross all browsers.

You can find more information and statistics about which browsers are being used the most in these places:
www.browserwatch.internet.com
www.whichbrowser.com
www.browsercaps.com

Some designers beleive that the web should be available to everyone. These designers develop web sites for the lowest common standard or HTML 2.0. They beleive that newer technologies such as Java and Flash take control out of the hands of the end user. To them control over how a page looks should remain in the hands of the end user and not the designer and hence a lowest common denominator designer may choose to not include or use any of the above mentioned technologies in their designs.

Other designers beleive that users should always download and maintain the latest version of browser software on their computers. These designers choose to push the internet envelope and include many new technologies in their designs. These designers beleive that visual control should remain in the hands of the designer and not the end user and therefore choose to include various modern technologies into their designs.

Many designers choose to design somewhere in the middle of these two groups. They implement technologies which are fairly safe or give the user the option to choose a version of a website which is compatible with older browsers or another site which has all the fancy new feature and is compatible with newer browsers. These sites with multiple versions take much more work to design and maintain as they simply have more webpages to look after.

A good way to approach a design is to choose a portion of your audience which is most important. Design your web sites primarily to please those people and if time or money or commitment allows implement features that will allow an even braoder audience to enjoy your web pages.

Any design however, must work on some browser or platform so you must check and recheck your designs to very their compatibility with its inteded browser. Here are some automated verification resources that can help:

validator.w3.org
www.websitegarage.com
www.netmechanic.com
www2.imagiware.com/RxHTML

Continue on to Part 2 of this tutorial=>