Only one version of IE at a time can be installed on a Windows computer.
Checking compatibility charts .........................................................
You can find online compatibility lists and charts detailing browser compati-
bility for all CSS properties and other features. Here are some resources:
http://www.corecss.com/properties/full-chart.php
http://www.westciv.com/style_master/academy/browser_support/basic_
concepts.html
http://www.quirksmode.org/css/contents.html
css.nu/faq/ciwas-mFAQ.html
To test how your Web page looks in a browser that doesn’t support your CSS
formatting styles, follow these steps
- Choose Tools➪Internet Options in Internet Explorer.
The Internet Options dialog box opens.
- Click the Accessibility button.
The Accessibility dialog box opens.
- Check the various checkboxes under Formatting, particularly the Font
Styles box.
- Click OK twice.
The dialog boxes close and you see your Web pages without the dese-
lected CSS formatting.
Sniffing browsers ...............................................................................
Browsers are divided into two primary categories: uplevel and downlevel.
Downlevel means that they support HTML 3.2 (no scripts, no CSS). Uplevel
browsers support HTML 4.0 and later, and consequently they can also handle
JavaScript 1.2 and CSS.
Experts suggest several solutions to handling browser incompatibilities, none
of them entirely successful. You can provide a splash screen or special page
that you show users before you show them your home page. On this page are
links to alternative home pages that, for example, don’t rely on CSS if the user’s
browser doesn’t support it. However, who wants to put Internet Explorer users,
who make up 95 out of the 100 visitors to your site, through this little quiz?
Also, nothing’s to stop other sites or search engines from providing links to
your actual home page and just bypassing the quiz page.
302 Part IV: Advanced CSS Techniques
