9Sep
It’s been years since any web professional has used IE in any meaningful way, instead demoting the worlds most widely used browser to an afterthought of browser testing. But could IE9 change all that?
Given the hype and announcements surrounding IE9 it would seem it will certainly change the browser landscape for the better but it might be some time until web developers start using IE9 as their default browser; the emotional scars are just too great.
So what is IE9 all about?
Simply put it has to be the most radical Internet Explorer since version 6, because rather than simply identify their users as the average home user they are now addressing the wants and needs of those that create the web. In doing so they are including into IE9 a wealth of new web technologies that either match or surpass their competitors. This will finally put IE back on a level playing field and create a browser developers are unable to criticise.
Continue reading “IE9: The last chance saloon for Microsoft”
14Jan
The title pretty much says it all. Today I spent the best part of the day trying to solve a problem that I wasn’t even sure anyone had ever experienced before. After hours of wishing a painful death to the site I was supposed to be lovingly crafting I came across an unusual solution.
The problem in a nutshell
For font replacement I use Cufon, and the site I’m currently working on uses it for a number of headings and links. To get the hover effect of links working properly with Cufon you have to add {hover:true} into the cufon.replace function. This is where the problems started.
Continue reading “Cufon makes IE8 jump a few pixels on hover”
30Nov
At the time of writing this post I have just finished browser testing the new site (I wrote it a while back) and it went rather smoothly. The reason for this is because I now use the rule:
If I can’t see it, I don’t care
In the past I would spend hours over the smallest details when it came to browser testing, ensuring a site was identical to the original design. Of course this was a little crazy, so now I get a site built and working in Firefox and then browser test to remove an obvious or critical functionality or positioning problems. The reason for the careless approach is that many users will not notice the small differences or notice that anything is broken as they probably don’t compare sites in various browsers like Web Developers.
Continue reading “Leaving IE6 behind”
13Sep
This may get me in hot water but to be honest I’m getting pissed off with the constant hatred for IE6 from web professionals and the double standards this creates.
Users, users, users
So many professionals will talk about the user till they’re blue in the face, which is only right as we work in an industry where pleasing the user is the primary goal. But when IE6 is involved all this stuff just doesn’t seem to matter anymore.
Unfortunately many web developers have taken a strong stance against IE6, conducting what can only be called a witch hunt against the aging browser. Some of this mob arm themselves with morally questionable update messages or simply lock down a site to anyone using IE6. These are aggressive actions to take aimed firmly at the best interests of the developer and not the user.
Continue reading “Lay off IE6″