Hi, Jon... Thanks for your comments. I don't think I share quite the same passion for making my sites accessible to whatever browser they like as you do. I expect them to meet me partway.
But, I think you're misunderstanding my comments in a couple of ways. One, as far as being "cutting-edge", it's not that I don't keep up with what's happening and how to use most of it, but my clients tend to have fairly simple needs, and I learn to build what they require. And another aspect of that is how soon I adopt new technologies and methods. I used to purchase an upgrade to my OS's as soon as they hit the shelves, but I found out how disastrous that can be for production. Now I tend to wait until at least Server Pack 1 or about a year of common use has gone by before even thinking of adapting to the new OS. Same thing with web development (in some ways)... some people just enjoy being on that cutting edge and blazing new trails. And that's fine... nothing wrong there. I used to be more like that. Now I prefer to let others who enjoy wrestling with the new stuff work on the issues. It's just a personality thing... Now, as far as IE 6 goes, I think we're really miscommunicating there. I do target IE 6 as much as IE 7, since it's still so heavily in use. I target IE6, IE7, and FF2 for now. That's about all I can handle, being new to CSS and all its methods and quirks. And, again, I've never seen anyone of my users on my analytics reports that use anything but IE6, IE7, FF2, or Safari. If I had a sudden surge of Opera users at 50%, I'd target Opera for development first. It's all about what the users are using. Funny you should mention working on your house... when I build a new one next spring, you can be sure the contractor, etc. will be among the best in the business. However, I won't require someone who can build a skyscraper, too, just someone who know how to build the type of home I require. I don't expect a builder to specialize in every type of building in existence. Thanks for the comments. :o) Rick > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On > Behalf Of Jon Hughes > Sent: Monday, December 03, 2007 11:53 AM > To: Rick Faircloth; [email protected] > Subject: Re: [css-d] How will Firefox 3 affect web developers? > > Sorry for my absence in this discussion, list! My HD had a meltdown. > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > discuss.org] On Behalf Of Rick Faircloth > > Sent: Monday, December 03, 2007 5:55 AM> > > > I think what we're seeing is a division between those who are driven > > to explore the boundaries of development and those whose top priority > > is simply making money with their work. And don't get me wrong, I > used > > to be one of the "cutting-edge" explorers. Not in the world of web > > development, > > but in a previous field. > > > Maybe it's just my biased perspective, but how can you not be on the > "cutting-edge" and still professionally do web development? The web is a > moving entity, and will continue to grow for the foreseeable future. New > technologies come out (CSS, XHTML) and become the (generally accepted) > standard - IMHO, you need to migrate to survive. > > I suppose the realistic alternative is to sit back and wait for the > "explorers" to come out with something, but I don't know - I prefer to > be proactive, not reactive. > > > > > Partly, this is just a sign of my growing older and having to take > care > > of concerns such as the mortgage, kids in college, etc., as well as my > > realization that > > browsers are constantly changing and that the perfect cross-browser > > solution > > I develop today will be irrelevant tomorrow. > > > But it is today, not tomorrow. With this mentality, where do you draw > the line? IE6 is still very strong in the market, as much as it pains us > all, but it is a reality. > > > > But, it's just not worth it on a monetary level, to spend so much time > > trying to > > make everything work well for every user environment. The users have > to > > make some > > compromises, too. And various browsers are becoming so cross-platform > > that it's > > much easier for users to use whatever browser they like for the OS > > platform. > > > > Again, my approach is simply a pragmatic one. I'll leave it up to you > > guys with the > > time, energy, and constant salary where you can afford to spend 4 days > on > > a tiny > > issue with an obscure browser for the sheer pleasure of conquering the > > problem. > > > This topic has evolved so much, I don't know if most people know where > it originated. > > You can read my post on speeding development for IE6 here: > > http://www.phazm.com/notes/productivity/stop-the-hate-ie6-isnt-so-bad/ > > I cannot imagine spending 4 on IE6 issues... maybe it was an > exaggeration, but I can't remember a time when I spent more than 2 hours > on an IE6 bug, 3 tops. > > > That doesn't concern me... I just need to keep the work flowing and > > pleasing my clients. > > I'm self-employed, which, I think makes a big difference in > perspective, > > too. > > > > > I don't know who your clients are, or how educated they are regarding > the web, but ignoring a large market simply because you want to save a > buck doesn't sound like the right way to do business. > > You may have a very small amount of users from IE6, in which case it > might be more acceptable for you to do so, but for myself, I consider it > a duty of a professional web developer to make a site accessible. And > again, it really doesn't take that long, I think you just need a bit > more practice recognizing what bugs there are in IE6 and how to fix > them. > > > > We're all going to approach this a little (or a lot) differently > depending > > on life circumstances and goals. > > > > I am also a freelancer, and have a wife and a son who rely on me to put > food on the table, but I also take great pride in my work, as I would > expect for anyone that works for me. > > For example, if I hire a contractor to put an addition on my house, I > expect him to use the "standards" he has to use, instead of saving a bit > of time and money by not putting in a few studs or insulation. > > If I was a client hiring someone to create a website, I would have the > same standards. > > > Just some thoughts... no rocks, slings, or arrows. :o) > > Hey, same here! I am a bit passionate about the topic of ignoring > potential viewers, so my words may come out a bit over-zealous, but I > assure you, no hard feelings! > > - Jon > ______________________________________________________________________ > css-discuss [EMAIL PROTECTED] > http://www.css-discuss.org/mailman/listinfo/css-d > List wiki/FAQ -- http://css-discuss.incutio.com/ > List policies -- http://css-discuss.org/policies.html > Supported by evolt.org -- http://www.evolt.org/help_support_evolt/ ______________________________________________________________________ css-discuss [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.css-discuss.org/mailman/listinfo/css-d List wiki/FAQ -- http://css-discuss.incutio.com/ List policies -- http://css-discuss.org/policies.html Supported by evolt.org -- http://www.evolt.org/help_support_evolt/
