Ahhhh... cross browser compatibility is killing me.

Discussion in 'HTML & Website Design' started by aim_high, Mar 19, 2008.

  1. #1
    i'm relativly new to designing a website and im trying to get my website to look the same on both fire fox and internet explorer. it works fine in firefox, then in ie 7 it looks horrible. this is very annoying. along with the fact that ie interprets padding differently then fire fox. ahh :(
     
    aim_high, Mar 19, 2008 IP
  2. phinelinda

    phinelinda Well-Known Member

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    #2
    Do it the other way around. Design it for IE and check it on Firefox.
     
    phinelinda, Mar 19, 2008 IP
  3. kk5st

    kk5st Prominent Member

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    #3
    That is unbelievably wrong. Always code against the most standards compliant browser you have. Right now that's Firefox or Opera. IE is not even in the running.

    If you have proper standard markup and css, making allowances for IE, either with hacks or work-arounds, is fairly simple. So simple, that you can usually do it on the fly once you have the necessary experience. In any case, if IE and Firefox differ in their renderings, you can bet that Firefox is showing you what you actually coded.

    In a nutshell, if IE looks good and Firefox doesn't, your coding is bad. If Firefox looks good and IE doesn't, you need only apply the usually well known fixes.

    cheers,

    gary
     
    kk5st, Mar 19, 2008 IP
  4. kk5st

    kk5st Prominent Member

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    #4
    If padding is interpreted differently, you probably don't have a complete and proper DTD. That causes IE to render in quirks mode. In quirks, many things go wrong. In standards mode (with a good DTD), IE isn't a good browser, but at least some of the major differences are removed.

    cheers,

    gary
     
    kk5st, Mar 19, 2008 IP
  5. wallarookiller

    wallarookiller Active Member

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    #5
    Fun isn't it:D
     
    wallarookiller, Mar 19, 2008 IP
  6. blueparukia

    blueparukia Well-Known Member

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    #6
    Excluding beta versions of Firefox and IE, it would actually be Opera or Safari which has the highest standards compliance level. Firefox 2 and IE would be on the bottom.
     
    blueparukia, Mar 19, 2008 IP
  7. kk5st

    kk5st Prominent Member

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    #7
    That's quite a bold statement that does not quite match the facts (acid2 notwithstanding). Element by element, property by property, Firefox has the best support for the most elements and properties. See Web Browser Standards Support. This bears up to practical experience, too.

    Opera is the closest to Firefox, and Konqueror/Safari lag due to holes in their support. IE, of course, is just stinko.

    If you have something to back your statement, fine; let's see it. But don't drag out the Acid 2 test. It offers no information as what is or is not implemented or whether it's implemented correctly or not.

    gary
     
    kk5st, Mar 19, 2008 IP