Why do different browsers render the exact same code differently? Why do some require commands unique to that browser? And most of all, why is this non-standardized behavior acceptable?
Imagine if Sony TVs displayed channel 4 differently than Toshibas? Or if the Blaupunkt radio in your car chose to interpret the FM signal differently than your clock radio? People would riot, or at least complain bitterly. But, because of their position as “market leaders” Microsoft can get away with a browser included with Windows that takes well written code and mangles it. Apple has been able to include a browser that renders the majority of pages accurately, although it is not without its quirks, with a much smaller development force than Microsoft’s.
Why as a web designer, do I have to design a site with one browser in mind and then fix it for every other browser? Video producers don’t have to reencode their video for display on different tv sets any more than musicians have to record different versions for different audio devices. But, every site I design has to be checked across multiple browsers to make sure they work. I never had to do this with print design.
In any case, the majority of visitors to this site, use Explorer 6, about 56%. Another 3% use other older versions of IE. Version 7 is due to arrive shortly, which means a new 800 lb gorilla on the horizon to consider. Unfortunately you can’t install both simultaneously. So if I want to test current designs on both, I will need two different machines to test on, one for each. And, since IE7 is supposed to fix problems in 6, many designers, myself included, are worried that fixes and hacks created to make sites work in IE6 will be broken in IE7, and when they are fixed for IE7, they will be broken in IE6, Very frustrating.
There is a consortium for WWW standards and another grassroots coalition but it seems they are more figureheads than enforcers. With many older versions of browsers still being used, and myriad new technologies being added to websites daily, perhaps it is idealistic to expect that all browsers should render identical content identically. I’m hoping for the day that at least all current browsers will be on the same page, literally and figuratively, and web designers won’t have to do the same job over and over again to make sure their site renders accurately on each browser. Until then, I’ll still be checking and fixing sites to compensate for the eccentricities of IE after perfecting them in Firefox (and Safari without trying).
Related topics via Technorati: browsers, non-standardized behavior, IE6, IE7, Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, web design, standards.
posted on Thursday, May 18th, 2006 in eponymous
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