[Ghostavo]

I think it's simply a case of them trying to aproach the standards gradually like most other browsers.

[colecampbell666]

Now, it DOES get on my nerves that I can't run Windows Update on Firefox, I'll admit, but it seems to me that the whole HTML thing needs looking at from both sides of the argument before things really do start splitting up into distinct pages for distinct browsers, which is something that does already happen.

IE compatibility addon

Install this and then you can run Windows Update on FF.

[Herra Tohtori]

It's an attempt to prevent the internet from having multiple standards with each browser doing what it wants.

Without such an attempt, you could end up having to install diferent browsers just to see diferent pages correctly.

Hey... actually you already need to do that. Some pages do require you to use IE to use them (*cough*WindowsUpdate*cough*), some don't work properly in other browsers than IE, and some correctly written pages fail to show properly in IE because it needs the page to be written in malformed language...

As to why it's bad that some browsers aren't standards-compliant... Honestly, it's like if someone went through a fast course of Sindarin, Klingon, Huttese or other made-up language, then started speaking badly butchered version of it in some Nerd Convention of your choice and claimed it was completely proper and everyone should use that version of the language since that's the best that this person can do. Microsoft didn't invent html, so they shouldn't be the ones to try and dictate how html should be written and interpreted.


Oh, and I'm using Opera. Mainly because it has innate mouse gestures and I'm used to the configuration, whereas FF needs you to find and install the  mouse gesture addon of your choice, and then configure it to your liking. Which isn't a problem in itself, I just can't bother.

If I needed extendability, I would use FF.

[Flipside]

For some reason, Black and White made me swear never to use mouse gestures again.

[IceFire]

I use internet explorer. But honestly, i'm sick of this entire browser war. All its done is made me work even more on my website just so its compatible.

Yeah its a pain to make websites compatible these days but I do have to blame Microsoft for some of the earlier versions of Internet Explorer where they yet again tried to make their own standard and force everyone to use it and they nearly succeeded before they let IE6 sit around and languish for a few years.  When I go to make a website work I usually spend my time ensuring that it works properly in Firefox because in most cases it also means that when I do go to test in Safari, Opera and Konqueror that it works exactly the same way.  Then I spend the rest of the time trying all of the IE6 hacks to make that browser work.

Fortunately IE7 is a step in the right direction...its not there yet.

Acid2 is a great little test in that it actually takes the standards, uses them to full effect, and then tests the browsers against something specific.  The problem with W3C standards is that although they provide lots of specifications its not always as much as they should provide.  I think they have been getting better at this as well but for a long time it was a fight with IE and Netscape over how much of a line space there should be in certain elements and how different tags were treated.  Its getting more strict for better or worse.

[Col. Fishguts]

For some reason, Black and White made me swear never to use mouse gestures again.

I don't really use the gestures, but the left/right-click-thing to go forward/backward  .... I can't live without it anymore.

[jr2]

I use FF, but IE sometimes (like @ work).  I'll post a piccy of my FF later... IE Tab allows Windoze Update to function, I do believe... but I use AutoPatcher for that function, anyways! 

[asyikarea51]

Firefox + Internet Explorer addon.

My only gripe with Firefox is the cache. Bad news when you screw things up by flagging your own blog by mistake, else it's okay. The trend's really on tabbed browsing nowadays, I remember the good-ol' days when I had 15-20 instances of Netscape open on a 33.6k dial-up...

[jr2]

14.4k was even better! *choke* *gasp*

[asyikarea51]

Nah, I'm not in the "which is the worst / best among all" mentality right now. Just getting the point across and stuffs.

[vyper]

I.E6 is the dominant browser right now, statistically speaking, with FF trailing by not too much.

Now you can code for IE6 and FF, but all the hacks that make it work in IE6 break it in IE7.

To make matters worse, corporations are requesting websites work in IE.5.5, not 6. Fun fun fun.

[IceFire]

Yep probably 5.5 because thats the last version made for Mac. Although Safari is heads and tails above the IE5.5 on Mac.  Firefox and Camino I'm told are the best on that platform...but thats just a variety of opinions I've picked up.

[diceman111]

IE 7 all the way ;-)

(Yes I am a slave to Microsoft but I cant help it aaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh)

/Dice

[karajorma]

I.E6 is the dominant browser right now, statistically speaking, with FF trailing by not too much.

Yes but as this thread (and most threads on other computer forums) prove the people who actually do web development are by and large firefox users.

[Nuke]

snupheluphagus!

[Grizzly]

Firefox 2, +  the IE switch.

Most people who don't use firefox but IE6 are not aware of firefox's existence, I geus..

[Ace]

Yep probably 5.5 because thats the last version made for Mac. Although Safari is heads and tails above the IE5.5 on Mac.  Firefox and Camino I'm told are the best on that platform...but thats just a variety of opinions I've picked up.

I hate Safari, I have javascripts that work well on all browsers and are identical *except* with Safari and then I get told by Mac users that my site isn't W3C compliant because of it. Which last time I checked didn't cover javascript, and is a poor excuse to defend its interpreting scripts different than other browsers.

Anyway the site in question which hates Safari:
http://www.savant-online.net/nv_republic/

[Scuddie]

Maybe you should hate JavaScript more than Safari.  Client based enhancements have always been the bane of all web development.  If it were up to me, then scripting languages, CSS, and DHTML would be removed from browser support altogether.  HTML4 all the way!  But then again, that's probably just me...

Anyway, I believe Opera is superior to Firefox in almost every way (Being open source is NOT superior).  It is by far the most standards compliant browser out of the big three.  However, it doesn't handle JavaScript well, and its error handling (read:  Improperly written pages) is far behind that of MSIE6 and Firefox.  Also, because people choose to run a browser check in their sites, Opera gets left out in the cold because it's not MSIE 6.0 or Firefox 2.0 or higher...  It disgusts me.  I would be running opera right now, but it's all but impossible to use it for half the things I need .

[BrotherBryon]

snupheluphagus!

  Never fails

[haloboy100]

just wait till sandwich gets here....