~terry
Wed, Jul 10, 1996 (16:20)
seed
The World Wide Web is currently the fastest growing segment of
the Internet, and with good reason. The web is the only part of the
Internet that can offer text, sound, images, and video together in a
presentation-type layout. While very much like desktop publishing
(DTP), the web goes beyond even DTP by standardizing the way in
which this information is presented. By making authors conform to
the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), the information an
author creates for viewing over the web will be presented the same
way by every web browser available (in theory, at least).
A browser is a program that allows a user to view the informational 'pages'
that others create and offer via the web.
While attempting to present a uniform layout with the Hypertext
Markup Language, web browsers still manage to give users varying
perspectives of the web. While great for giving users a choice in
appearance, these differences, while minor, are enough to
constantly give web authors all sorts of problems.
The situation is currently compounded by the introduction of what
many consider to be the best web browser, Netscape. Netscape
earns part of its popularity due to the proprietary HTML standards
it has introduced. While I personally believe these are great
features, the lack of actually being standardized has kept many
other browsers from adopting and implementing these much-needed
features.
The only browser that comes close to matching Netscape feature
for feature is Mosaic. Until the next HTML standard (HTML 3.0)
is finalized (and perhaps even after), web authors will have to
conform to the lowest common denominator in features if they
want to retain the ability to be viewed by all browsers on the
market. The following are brief descriptions of each application
featured on the World Wide Web Browsers Page.
- Forrest Stroud
~clownboy
Sun, Nov 24, 1996 (02:27)
#1
While I avidly read (and agree with) most of your reviews Forrest, I disagree with
your assessment of browsers here. Netscape has always been a wildcard, we never quite knew what to expect from the next release and it's current release is no different. Old bugs are reinvented (cirrus logic incompatability, screen flash) and useless proprietary tags are foisted upon us (multicol, spacer) instead of addressing the controls that developers are screaming for.
However, they now have competition and not from the equally buggy Mosaic. MSIE will handle all the HTML that Netscape can execute (except for the aforementioned multicol tag) and so much more. With MSIE I can place any element, anywhere on the page. I can overlap elements, create HTML drop-shadow, control leading, margining, point size and generally do what can be done with outside pagemaking utilities (Quark, Pagemaker, etc.) - and this is just using the CSS standard set by the W3C. Can Netscape do this
nope. With MSIE I can open a link in full kiosk mode or control which toolbar elements are available. Further, in kiosk mode I don't have the logobar forced upon me as I do with Netscape - just a nice clean edge to edge screen.
Microsoft who has had the reputation of doing what they want has chosen to actually listen to what developers want, where Netscape seems to believe we will have to make do with what they give us.
~laclark
Sun, Mar 1, 1998 (23:47)
#2
I have Microsoft Internet Explorer 4, however I'm having difficulty with it. This site sounds like maybe someone can help me. I have loaded it properly onto my Compaq Pentium 150/1gig still free.....and twice it knocked out windows 95. After my computer was turned off, I could not get back into windows at all. The techs at microsoft, with much dificulty, managed to delete the browser through safe mode, (it dies hard) and windows works OK now. However they told me to re-load it, and when I did the sam
problem happened again. I really like this browser. Any suggestions about what is wrong?? ( I have the browser on CD ) Could you e_Mail me with help? I'm not sure I can find my way back here again. LaClark881@AOL.com. Anybody else have trouble?? The microsoft people seem to think the browser is not compatable with anti-virus programs (I have Inocculan and DR.Soloman) I suspended both before loading the second time. Appreciate any help. Laurie
~terry
Mon, Mar 2, 1998 (01:09)
#3
Try loading 3.0 off Microsoft's site first, then upgrading it to 4.0.
This has worked in problem installations for me.