The Deranged Challenge

[DerangedPsycho]

No fighting here Madi.. I'll be a good boy. Was just trying to get him to drop the whole Java argument when it had already been established prior that it was a bad idea... yet he still seems insistent in rubbing it into my face. I got the point a LONG time ago.

Besides, I figured out how to do it myself.. so Nyah! lol With help from Mith to test in other resolutions.

 

[DSX]

Let's see, I asked you "why Java?" and stated that it could be done better.
You didn't respond as to why or that it might be a placeholder.
So I stated, again, that it's not a good idea, and stated my friend, who makes web sites for a living would state that using Java for something like that would be bad.
Then you:

As for your friend agreeing about the Java...who cares? What are you trying to prove? That it's crappy and not a good idea overall? I think we've established that already. Enough is enough.

I asked why, you never responded, then you take offense.

You can't take how you design anything as the center of the universe. On the web, there are a multitude of browsers and configurations you have to deal with. If you want a good site, you aim for the lowest common denominator.

If you can make them look similar in the main four (IE, Firefox, Opera, Safari), make it look consistent (meaning multiple resolutions supported), and minimize the use of JavaScript, Java, and Flash (from least to most), then you make a site that can be indexed and is very accessible.

If you're making web pages and only checking in IE or Firefox, you're not a web developer. The only time you can enforce one browser one configuration is if you're doing intranet sites. If your goal is to make an internet site, things like that drive visitors away. Sometimes you do have to draw a line (like supporting IE4 or older or any version of Netscape), but if you make sure the main four are considered (IE6, FF, Opera, Safari), and make the site accessible (remember, some people are still on dial-up), the only things you have to worry about is appearance and content.

 

[DerangedPsycho]

Drop it already sheesh.. I got the point a long time ago. You can quit driving it home like I'm some low intelligent little kid.

 

[DSX]

I don't think you really do when you manage to introduce a change in the page that pretty well alters how it looks (in IE), but manages to look very different in another browser (in Firefox). Aiming for them to look the same is something you should be doing as you're designing it. Doing it after the fact will require much more effort and time.

It's easier to spend a bit more time and do it right than it is to do it wrong and try to fix it when it's done. And even if that is supposed to be a scratch page, doing it right there (and in all other cases) will make it from something you have to consciously do into normal practice, which means when you design a page for real, you don't waste time, you do it like that. When that becomes the case, things will look more professional, and that just might mean business.

 

[Tifferzzz]

Maybe enlarge it? I know that I'm on a high resolution, but this page vs that initial page has a great amount of difference in size.

 

[Mithrandirxx]

Alright last night when I checked them over, they looked the same in Foxfire, Opera, and IE. At resolution 1280 x 1024, However Tifferzz may be right they may be too small at a normal resoulation of 1024 x 768, or 800 x 600.

 

[SJ_the_Bartender]

DSX, you are correct. A true professional does make sure that his sites work in all the major browsers. However, thats not really something we are concerned with just yet. At this point, we are mostly looking at design, and the look and feel aspect of the site. You are looking farther into the technical side of things than I think we are willing to go just yet. Its good that you brought them to our attention, but now that its there, lets look more at the visual aspects.

Deranged, see if you can get in touch with me later tonight, and i'll get you what files i've got.

 

[DSX]

I had spare time at work, so I figured I'd make a working marquee in JavaScript that does what I mentioned. If you have JavaScript enabled, watch it scroll. If not, you can still see the content (at least the beginning of it if it's too long).

<html>
<head>
<script type="text/javascript">
var marqueeContainer;
var marqueeDiv;
var movespeed;
var padding=25;

function beginMarquee() {
    marqueeContainer = document.getElementById("marquee_container");
    marqueeDiv = document.getElementById("marquee");
    marqueeDiv.style.left = parseInt(marqueeContainer.offsetWidth)+"px";
    
    movespeed=2;
    
    setInterval("moveMarquee()",25)
}

function moveMarquee() {
    if(parseInt(marqueeDiv.style.left) + parseInt(marqueeDiv.offsetWidth) > 0-padding) {
        marqueeDiv.style.left = (parseInt(marqueeDiv.style.left) - (movespeed)) + "px";
 }
   else {
      marqueeDiv.style.left = parseInt(marqueeContainer.offsetWidth)+padding+"px";
    }
}
window.onload = beginMarquee
</script>
</head>
<body>
<div id="marquee_container" style="width:500px;height:23px;overflow:hidden;margin:0px 0px 0px -250px;position:absolute;left:50%;" onmouseover="movespeed=0;" onmouseout="movespeed=2;">
 <div id="marquee" style="height:21px;position:absolute;"><nobr>
<!-- On the next line is where you put the marquee text.  Do not edit anything else.-->
      &lt;Marquee dialog goes here, make it as long as you want&gt;
<!-- End of the marquee text. -->
  </nobr></div>
</div>
</body></html>

It's a whole demo page, tested in IE6, IE7 and Firefox. I can't test in Opera or Safari as I don't have them installed (I'm not a web developer). And, as an added bonus, it stops when you put your mouse over it.

At this point, we are mostly looking at design, and the look and feel aspect of the site.

Design is how it is laid out, a part of the overall appearance, yes, and looking the same between browsers is a part of that.

It is still good practice if you are making an internet site to make it appear the same in "all" browsers, even if it is a mock-up, because it ingrains good practices.

It's like writing a little script using Visual Basic (not .NET), I'm not going to just blindly Dim everything as Variants and not use Option Explicit even if it's only going to run once. It's a matter of keeping those good habits and practices.