Coding for browser differences
In addition to the platform differences (mostly tied to screen size), the most obvious other difference you must consider is the browser. With dozens of available options each with its own set of pros and cons it can seem a bit daunting to try and please everyone. Rather than doing that, we suggest you design (for the most part) for the HTML specifications, and let the browsers worry about their own differences... provided, of course, this meets with the goals of and expectations for your site.
At the start of any site development project, you should figure out which browsers most of your target audience is using. If you’re building a site for the mass market, this means you’ll be targeting the most popular modern browsers, which include the latest versions of Safari, Firefox, Opera, Internet Explorer, and Chrome.
As we discussed previously, the HTML5 standard is not yet official (as of this writing). However, each of these browsers supports a significant enough portion of the HTML5 spec for us to develop for it. But because some of the newer parts of the spec aren’t yet fully supported, it’s important to do a bit of research and planning first. There are plenty of places online where you can quickly get this type of information.
Above shows a screen capture of one such site that provides current details about which aspects of the HTML5 and CSS3 specs are supported by which browsers. Here are a few additional resources to help you conquer this design consideration:
• The HTML5 Test tells you how well your browser supports HTML5: http://html5test.com
• Can I use? gives current information about which browsers support which tags, attributes, and properties: http://caniuse.com
• HTML5 Readiness is a visual example of which portions of the latest specs are ready to be used today: http://html5readiness.com.
Next to - Screen Design - Part 3
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