It’s pretty clear for me that layout issues may have played a part in 9rules’ decision to not include core Theory in its recent update of accepted entries. These issues displacing boxes and creating visual havoc only appear in non-standard compliant browsers, namely Internet Explorer 6 for Windows. I haven’t had a chance to check it myself, but I heard that the pages display fine (also with PNG alpha transparency) in Microsoft’s upcoming update of Internet Explorer, version 7. However, I also read that Internet Explorer 7 introduces a number of new issues that haven’t been solved yet. While its developers are closely working with the Web Standards Project, it is unclear whether they will address these issues.
Of course I’m looking into fixing the issues on corebasis.com anyways. For one, it’s a matter of pride to have a fully standard compliant website that will also work with outdated browsers like Internet Explorer. But there’s more to it. Still, at the time when I’m writing this article, around 85% of web visitors use Internet Explorer 6, and this number is not going to change greatly after the official release of Internet Explorer 7. (You can see it is already changing slowly, but it will take a year or two to replace Internet Explorer 6.)
Over time, people will start downloading the new version, and of course every new computer they buy will have it pre installed. However, there’s a large group of users who might come across this site and who can’t update their browser, for whatever reasons. Some large corporations have strict IT-requirements, preventing automatic updates of programs (which is natural, if you look at Windows vulnerability).
The real question here is, “what does standard compliant website” mean? Standards are good, because in comparison to the whole web evolution, the introduction and manifestation of standards ensured that within a reasonable timespan, all web users will get the same great user experience. At least from a technical point of view — good web design is a different issue.
But compliant means more in my book. It means you care about your brand experience. It means you recognize, comprehend and acknowledge the needs of your visitors, and you comply to them. It means you don’t give up aiming for the best possible usability, accessibility and you want to create a consistent experience, so the people visiting your website will reward you with returning to it more often. They come to your website looking for content, but they will only come back if your content delivers.
Comments