At 15:49 -0500 02-03-2003, Dan Knight wrote: >I'm working on a system that will address the biggest complaint about the >Low End Mac site -- some people find our fonts "too big." (We use their >default font size -- hey, we're not the ones with the power to change it!)
Have you read the article by CodeBitch on MacEdition on this same issue? <http://www.macedition.com/cb/cb_20020701.php> >It looks gorgeous, and I can implement it with PHP and a cookie -- no >need for Javascript on the user's computer. It's nearly perfect. If you are concerned about users turning off javascript aren't you concerned about them turning off cookies? >On my sample pages, all linked from <http://lowendmac.com/css/>, I show >the 6 header sizes, display sample lines of text in the 6 optional sizes, >and also include one paragraph where size="-1" and another where >size="-2" -- and with the smaller 2 or 3 style sheets, one or both of >these may actually be *larger* than the base font. This is true in both >Safari and IE 5.2; after seeing that, I don't even want to test any >further. Well of course this will happen. You are mixing different kinds of styles, the old way with the new way. Why not do stuff in percentages: body {font-size: 16px;} .small {font-size: 90%; } .copyright {font-size: 80%; } or: body {font-size: 14px;} .small {font-size: 90%; } .copyright {font-size: 80%; } >Needless to say, I'm frustrated. In earlier testing years ago, I found >that this was the only method of specifying font sizes that worked >consistently between browsers -- important when you're Low End Mac and >you may have visitors on SE/30s and Color Classics with positively >ancient browsers. You have a particularly hard choice to make. Seeing that you run a site that caters to loads of people with ancient browsers things will never work consistently across your entire audience, some of whom may use ancient classics and some of whom use Umaxes (I still remember my Umax C500 fondly) or first generation iMacs. The fact is that users with ancient browsers know perfectly well they use those versions. If they expect the entire internet to stop the progression towards standards because they use crappy browsers it's their problem (and you are making it yours). Users of ancient macs with antediluvian browsers should expect certain things not to work on the web if they fail to ditch a certain browser, just like they cannot run the newest OS or photoshop. It would be silly to think your site is the only site they visit that gives them problems. I'm a big fan of stylesheets and the fact that they gracefully degrade, that is if they are not supported things shouldn't matter (much). The most important thing is that text remains readable, if that means that on some setups copyright notices are as big as the main text that is a minor problem (and an extremely minor one at that). If I were you I'd find a compromise by specifying px and percentages, but would ditch the font tags, but then I'm NOT you and I don't have access to your visitor stats or run your site. HTH, Harold. -- http://www.haroldbakker.com Dreamweaver extensions, PHP, movies, sillyness It's here: The pet that rocks the world of Mac OS X: http://www.virtualpetrock.nl -- Mac Webmasters is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Small Dog Electronics has Lasso, Filemaker, and FileMaker Server on Sale! High Technology for low prices. http://www.smalldog.com Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> Mac Webmasters info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/macweb.shtml> --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; Send list messages to: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> List archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/mac.webmasters%40mail.maclaunch.com/> Using a Mac? Free email & more at Applelinks! http://www.applelinks.com
