Cross Browser? Opinions please.

Question

Say a developer develops a basic .html site that is viewable
cross-browser. Now, taking advantage of features available in one
browser, he or she develops content that uses those features.
Not wanting to negatively impact the experience of other
browser users, whose browser cannot use those features and indeed
causes problems in their browser, the developer codes the site to
detect the browser and not display the additional content to them.
So the browser users who can see the new content get it and
those with other browsers see only the original site. No harm, no
foul? Or is the definition of Cross-Browser that EVERYONE MUST see
the same content - develop for the lowest common denominator?
The reason I ask, is that I have heard people throw around
terms like "unprofessional" if someone develops for only one
browser. I was just wondering what the definition of Cross-Browser
is.

Answer 1

norrisoft wrote:
> Say a developer develops a basic .html site that is
viewable cross-browser.
> Now, taking advantage of features available in one
browser, he or she develops
> content that uses those features.
>
> Not wanting to negatively impact the experience of other
browser users, whose
> browser cannot use those features and indeed causes
problems in their browser,
> the developer codes the site to detect the browser and
not display the
> additional content to them.
>
> So the browser users who can see the new content get it
and those with other
> browsers see only the original site. No harm, no foul?
Or is the definition
> of Cross-Browser that EVERYONE MUST see the same content
- develop for the
> lowest common denominator?
>
> The reason I ask, is that I have heard people throw
around terms like
> "unprofessional" if someone develops for only one
browser. I was just
> wondering what the definition of Cross-Browser is.
"unprofessional" might be too much of a word. Bottom line is
what is that your
client needs and agree too.
For years people were developing stuff that was only
supported in IE, no one *****
about it because it was kind of given, we all knew it simply
did not work anywhere else.
From basic css to dhtml and others...
If my clients does not mind that I develop with FireFox in
mind and not IE, why would
I care if someone call me unprofessional. I want my content
to work right to the client
liking.
I read some threads day or two days back, pretty similar
issue. Tho I could not agree
with some of the points but than again, if my client has a
say in it and he is ok, that
is fine with me. Lots if not all of my clients feel strongly
about IE and security problems.
These are normal mortals, not computer savvy people and they
hate the idea that
regular surfing get them pack up with spyware and all this
stuff, people who not suppose
to know about cleaners, protections and 20 other applications
required just to run browser safely.
Because of that, they strongly encourage support of FireFox
and content specifically built
for it.
I herd many of times, "don't worry about IE, we don't want it
anyway"...
Regards
Urami
Happy New Year guys - all the best there is in the 2006
<urami>
http://www.Flashfugitive.com
</urami>
<web junk free>
http://www.firefox.com
</web junk free>