Do you design for a specific browser?

[Sarve]

Do you design your website for a specific browser, or do you just design it and hope it will look okay in every browser? I use to design mine according to how it looked in Explorer, but I'm using Firefox most of the time now and I don't like the size of the lettering in Firefox when it's set at default. Just how far do you go to make your site work with the various browsers?

[jamesicus]

I always compose my web pages to be fully interoperable in all user agents: Graphical Browsers (MS Internet Explorer, Firefox, Google Chrome, Opera, Safari, Konqueror, et al); Textual Browsers; Screen Readers; Search Engines; Mobile/Small Screen Devices (cell phones, PDAs, pagers, smart watches, etc.).

Ref: http://jp29.org/wpointerop.htm

[awasp67]

I don't go as far as jamesicus but I do check my sites in IE, firefox and Chrome and use valid code and css. For big projects I also use a cross browser testing service for the other browsers.

I certainly wouldn't recommend designing for a browser as you have no control (well not much and not conventionally) on the browser your viewer uses.

Have a look at CSS reset stylesheets which aim to reduce the browser inconsistencies.

[raysor]

Your site should work properly in all the major browsers otherwise you may be excluding a percentage of traffic. Check the Browser section in Statcounter to see what your visitors use.

[JWJ]

Like the others, I build my site for all browsers. To be practical, I build in IE and make sure it's all good there, but then I check it in other browsers and modify the code accordingly. Fully W3C compliant code and css solves most issues.

[Sarve]

Originally Posted by jamesicus

I always compose my web pages to be fully interoperable in all user agents: Graphical Browsers (MS Internet Explorer, Firefox, Google Chrome, Opera, Safari, Konqueror, et al); Textual Browsers; Screen Readers; Search Engines; Mobile/Small Screen Devices (cell phones, PDAs, pagers, smart watches, etc.).

The site functions with all browsers that I've tried it on (although menus are messed up on a cell phone due to my using tables). It's the letter size that bothers me. Since my site is just for reading I try to keep the font at a comfortable reading size. But what is comfortable in one browser ends up being too small in another. I noticed the suggestion about CSS. Webado has also mentioned to me that I need to learn it. I feel like I'm attempting to learn Greek or Hebrew when I try. Basic HTML was fairly easy for me to understand, although I'm not perfect with it either, but CSS just doesn't seem to click with me. Does CSS help with the font issue or is that something I just have to leave to the visitor to adjust their browser for?

Jamesicus, I took a quick look at your links. I know tables are out-dated, but not sure how to keep the menu page clean and uncluttered without them. I'll have to look over the info, in your links, more carefully when I can. I want people to relax when they're at my site so I don't want busy pages. Although the Points to Ponder thing which I just started last weekend doesn't help in that area. Not sure if I'll keep that.

[Arne]

Originally Posted by Sarve

It's the letter size that bothers me. Since my site is just for reading I try to keep the font at a comfortable reading size. But what is comfortable in one browser ends up being too small in another.

Don't use pt or px for the font size (e.g. font-size: 12pt, pt is for printing matters, not screen. Don't set any specific over all font size, that will give all the 100% (normal) size for their browser, what ever it is set to in those browsers. And use use % (e.g. 90% or 110%) for any text you like to have smaller or bigger than the "normal".

With that all browsers and visitors will be able to see a font size they prefer, and the size will mess up less in different devices. And with using a little padding for each table cell you would not need to specify any specific width for the tables, that will give them a "dynamic" width that will better suit for any browser width and resolution.

[Sarve]

Thanks Arne! That was very helpful info! I appreciate it!

[DSL Guy]

font size ="4"

that's what I use on my home page of that site that uses no doc-type declaration "at all?"

That site looks good in all 3 browsers I just checked with: Chrome, FFox and IE...I liked IE view the best, so I'm wondering what the hubbub is all about? To each someone else's own I guess.

[DSL Guy]

Not at all.

I build the site for selling to people. Which browser is secondary. Once in a while I check what the site looks like in different browsers.

My best site is far from w3c compliant - makes good scratch, if you know what I mean. If you don't? I can imagine you scratching your head.

Quirks mode rules!

Seriously though - that site has never declared doc-type. SE's consider it antiquated, early 1990's design. I just leave it. Maybe someday I'll try to update the design of it. Just not today or anytime soon.

I think it is sites like mine that make html 5 worthwhile...even though it doesn't declare itself html 5.