The relationship between Opera and Microsoft continues to run chilly as the latest CNET News reports Opera won't offer a version of its mobile browser to work on Microsoft-powered smart phones such as the Orange SPV. Users of Windows-CE based phones will have to stick with Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser, which is considered second-rate compared to smart phones and personal digital assistants.
It's official, it's standards-compliant and it doesn't work properly in Internet Explorer on Windows - welcome to the new Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) section at the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).
The message of WaSP since it started has always been 'code to standards, build browsers to standards and everyone will be happy'. However, most high profile web sites are still wary of shutting anyone out in any small way, so it's very brave for the W3C to use a CSS property that fails in Win/IE - surely the browser that most of its visitors will use when visiting that page.
In standards-compliant browsers, the navigation remains fixed (like a framed navigation area), while for Win/IE it disappears off the page as you scroll down. But wait for the irony. If you are using a standards-compliant browser and you are using a window size of 800x600 or less, you might never be able to get to links at the bottom. Personally, though, I can't think of any Mozilla/Netscape 7 users who would be running that kind of screen resolution ...
17 new WaSPs buzzing.
That's right. We have 17 new members, and a fresh perspective on the future.
Everybody look what's going down:
Read our press announcement, our current opinion, and what the press thinks about the whole noise.
Netscape DevEdge revamps their design and front-end structure. In the process, the site itself becomes another beacon demonstrating the possibilities and advantages to be had when web standards and compliant browsers get pushed to their limits. Tableless layout, major accessibility enhancements, CSS dropdown menus (with a minor assist from JavaScript), customizeable style and font-size preferences, and advanced printing features.
The DevEdge team's moves and strategy are documented in a detailed article on the redesign. Additional pieces provide extra insight on their use of CSS and JavaScript.
House of Style, which has been around and promoting the positives of CSS for some time, has announced a new mailing list called CSS-Foundations. The list is geared toward those developers and designers just beginning to get their feet wet with CSS. With an emphasis on practical guidance, peer assistance, and community, the CSS-Foundations list will surely become a terrific resource for all newcomers to style.
It's been an excellent week for browsers everywhere.
