1. So, IYHOs,
Is it better to code, then check, code some more, then check again,
using a much more standards-
compliant browser like Mozilla, or go with ie, then tweak for the
rest?
Yes. Start with something compliant (because it's the future), then go back to IE. Personally, I patch-up IE's rendering with a IE-only conditional comment [1], after making sure all the "good" browsers are happy.
2. Is Mozilla more standards-complaint than the rest, or should I rely on
Opera first?
The latest version of all of them are pretty good, but keep in mind that users might still have the older versions. Personally, Firefox 0.8 is my default "perfect browser" to check.
A. Which browser (which version too), in order of compliance,
rate first in standards.
Is my list accurate:
a. Mozilla builds (1.5, 1.7b, etc) b. Mozilla Firebird 0.7 c. Mozilla Firefox 0.8 d. Opera e. Netscape f. IE
For starters, I'd guess that Firefox 0.8 comes above Firebird 0.7, and NN6 and NN7 were built off early Mozilla builds. You're also missing Safari 1, 1.1, 1.2, and OmniWeb for the Mac, a few different things for Linux, etc etc.
Secondly, I don't think it's worth establishing a list / order. Pick a browser with pretty good support (for me, it's Firefox 0.8 and Safari 1.0) to develop on, then test and adjust on everything else... last but least, I look at IE 5/5.5/6, and try to patch it's rendering engine with an additional stylesheet, linked inside an IE conditional comment.
--- Justin French http://indent.com.au
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