[thelist] Look ma, no tables. Check please?

Daniel Medley dm at lgcy.com
Sat Jul 13 21:23:01 CDT 2002


> Looks good in IE6, NS6, and Opera 5 on Windows 2000.  I can tell that you
> weren't designing for Netscape 4.x though.  ;-)  Take a look at the
rendered
> result at
>
> http://216.12.34.199/lobowalk.png
>
> You don't seem to have a complicated layout, so if you wanted to take the
time
> to make the site render right in Netscape 4.x, you can use the good old
> fashioned @import trick combined with the border: 0.1px trick.  Take a
look at
>
> http://www.mako4css.com/csstwo.htm
>
> for some good tips on how to get Netscape 4.x to do what you want it to
do.
> This is what I've done on my site, and except for background images not
> showing through and a couple of margin differences, it looks exactly the
same
> in Netscape 4 as it does in the more modern browsers.  Feel free to e-mail
me
> off-list if you need some specific help.
You're right, I didn't design with Netscape 4 in mind. However, the @import
thing will be my next topic to get a grasp on.
>
> And now, some general comments:
>
> You have a nice, contrasting color scheme, but be aware that
reddish-orange
> tones can cause fatigue on the eyes for prolonged reading.  Bright white
or
> bright black will do the same thing much more quickly, but adding some
more
> distinguishing colors such as blue, green, or black will help the site to
seem
> less bland to the eyes.
Point well taken.
>
> You're fitting a *lot* of stuff into the sidebar for having it be the same
on
> every page.  It could be good if you changed it based upon the context
(e.g.
> have the list of book reviews in the sidebar for the books section, have a
> list of links to places in the trippin' section, and so forth), or simply
have
> only the top part of  each section and have a "See more" link at the end
of
> the synposis.
I fully agree with you. I have been thinking about how to deal this and I
will remember your advice when I tackle it.
> I like having the navigation both at the top and bottom of the both.  Many
> sites, especially those with long articles, miss out on this user
interface
> enhancement.
>
> Beware of opening new windows, especially with JavaScript.  We actually
had
> this discussion on this list a while back, but many people, including
myself,
> really dislike sites opening new windows for us.  It works wonderfully
when
> you have JavaScript enabled, but for those user agents who either have
> JavaScript disabled or don't support JavaScript at all, they'll end up
with a
> new screen with no navigational elements at all and no clue as to why they
> can't use the back button to return to your site.  Try disabling
JavaScript in
> Internet Explorer under Tools -> Internet Options -> Security -> Custom
Level
> -> Scripting -> Active Scripting, click on a link on your site, and you'll
see
> what I mean.
I remember the discussion concerning opening new windows. I know it can be a
bit of a touchy thing. I sort of approached with how I like it in mind. For
me, if there are a lot of links, I like to have new windows open up because,
again for me, it's easier to just close the window and continue to the next
link. I know it's a subjective thing.

As far as the java scripting goes I have the links coded as such:
<a class="nav"
href="whatever.html" target="_blank"
onclick="javascript:openWindow('whatever.html');return false;">whatever.</a>
I think what this does is, in case the scripting is disabled, it will open
up a new browser window wich all the bells and whistles. This is how it
works in Mozilla and IE. Am I missing something and it does not work as
intended sometimes?
>
> Overall, a very nice site with good layout and topics.  Welcome to the
world
> of CSS layouts.  Table still make some things easier, but for fluidity and
> ease of changing your design, CSS is definitely the way to go.
>
> Regards,
> Jackson Yee
Thank you for taking the time to check it out and for the good advice.

Daniel Medley





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