[MacDV] Re: Safari pros and Cons!

[Danny Grizzle]

On 1/8/03 10:08 AM, "Steven Rogers" <srogers1 at austin.rr.com> wrote:

> What started off as such a simple protocol has now become so
> complicated that it seems nobody can write a browser that
> correctly handles everything.

Also true: nobody can write a web page that will display correctly in all
browsers.

There was a time when anyone could view source on a web page and see how
things were being done. No more. Did you know that most pro websites vary
the content being delivered, depending on which browser is making the
request (every web click includes basic ID on what computer OS & browser
type/version).

For the websites I produced, I've written a custom database content
management system, and even after pages are authored, the design calls for
tons of moment-of-delivery dynamic "server side include" modification. This
even includes embedded elements like JavaScripts and navigation systems.
Anyone -- a student, competitor, client, or employee -- could stare at my
HTML source code in their browser, and never have any clue about the real
complexity involved behind the scenes, or have the first idea how various
things are being accomplished.

Wearing my web developer hat, my one great fear is Microsoft. Their
persistent and pervasive near-misses with open standards amounts to a
deliberate strategy of muddying the waters for all competing stanards, to
give themselves time to develop proprietary competing products.

Within the last week or two, it was reported that Sun Microsystems had won a
lawsuit requiring Microsoft to continue to include full, unmodified versions
of Java in all Windows operating systems. Deliberate non-standardization
wrecks the web. My biggest problem on the web today is caused by a Microsoft
Internet Explorer incompatibility with forms submission. Forms have been
with us for years, work great, and my content management system relies on
them. But MSIE 6.x (and Mac OS X 5.2) browsers have reliability problems
with web forms. The bottom line: either I port my application to Microsoft
server platform, Microsoft databases, and .NET architecture.

I could go on...

Danny Grizzle