[thelist] Browser Specific CSS

mccreath mccreath at ak.net
Sun Mar 11 17:59:45 CST 2001


> -----Original Message-----
> From: Peter Graber
>
> Given the differences in CSS rendering amoung Netscape
> Communicator and IE, is it common practice to develop style
> sheets for both browsers or just to try to find a happy medium
> between both?  How does evolt do it?

Hi, Peter --

Evolt uses one stylesheet for everybody (color differences between the four
evolt domains notwithstanding). There are two things to understand about
that, though.

1. There isn't any positioning done through CSS. There are a few margins
set, but that's pretty much it. All the other positioning is done with
tables.

2. There is a stylesheet editor in the works that will allow people to set
any font size or colors they want for anything that's defined in the default
stylesheet (and there are a *lot* of things defined in the stylesheet ;))
and then save that as their personal evolt stylesheet.

The primary goal was design once, run everywhere. For more specifics, read
this:

  http://www.evolt.org/article/Inside/20/5816/index.html

Supplementally, there's this, too:

  http://www.evolt.org/article/Liquid_Tables/20/2321/index.html

 (I know you didn't ask about liquid tables, but it is germaine to the evolt
design.)

For some other good info on CSS, check A List Apart.

  http://www.alistapart.com/stories/fear/index.html

Personally, I feel like creating different stylesheets for different
browsers defeats the purpose of the stylesheet, especially if the goal is to
make things look exactly the same by doing different tricks to your CSS. I
prefer to create one stylesheet, get it looking reasonably good in the 4+
browsers (taking into account the full spectrum of weaknesses) and make sure
it doesn't just totally blow apart in  the older browsers.

HTH,
David






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