[thelist] <!DOCTYPE >

Tom Dell'Aringa pixelmech at yahoo.com
Wed Jun 18 09:34:21 CDT 2003


--- Nick Wilson <nick at stylesheet.org> wrote:

> All browsers understand any doctype. It's the code (or ignore that
> line if they don't). It's hte CODE that is important.

Although that DOCTYPE needs to be a full, not a partial to be fully
useful. Partly blame this one on inconsistent implementation in
WYSIWYG and other coding apps - including HomeSite.

> Personally I think XHTML 1.0 Strict or XHTML 1.1 is the way to go
> for most sites these days. It depends on the target group though, 
> if I were building a site for the over 70's I'd assume many of 
> them may have old
> machines and may never have upgraded their browser. So, 4.01
> Transitional and table layouts would probably be a good call.

If you use standards correctly (HTML 4 included) Then ALL - I repeat
*ALL* browsers (including Lynx, PalmPilot, etc) should be able to
receive the content you present. In most web browsers, the content
should also look about the same. Of course NS4, IE4 and previous
browsers will challenge you, but you can still serve them content if
not the *same* presentation.

You need to look at a number of factors - not just your audience.
4.01 Transitional layouts are excellent if you are new to standards.
It will give you an opportunity to get your feet wet and see the
benefits.

Then, after that you can move forward to XHTML and really knock em
dead. I wouldn't suggest diving direct into XHTML if you are totally
unfamiliar with standards, just a sanity check.

> However, I run a lot of sites and they *all* use valied XHTML 1.1
> and CSS and I have no complaints and no problems. 

Which doesn't mean there aren't any! :) The worst complaint/problem
you have is the user who comes to your site, sees it "messed up" and
leaves, never to come back again. They don't contact you, they just
never come back.

Rigorous testing is always the best answer to make sure your site
works as intended.

Cheers

Tom


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