G'day
> As this does not validate, can I still claim to follow web standards?
Matter of opinion really and depends on what the word "follow" means to you :-) Strictly speaking, I'd say if the (x)html or css is not valid, you're not following web standards. Others might say you are following them, but just not quite getting to the finish line. If the CSS does not validate, you certainly should not claim to have "Valid CSS".
Some of the more involved hacks only target MSIE5 on PC. How serious an issue is having the layout look the same in that browser? Is this declining browser more important than writing valid, standards compliant css? I'd quote statistics, but you know what they say and many statistics don't differentiate between Mac and PC IE5.
Perhaps there are other ways to fix problems with your layout, without using non standards compliant CSS. Perhaps the site would even be perfectly usable without the hacks, though it won't look quite the same. It all boils down to (at least for me) whether having the site look the same in a disappearing browser is more important than standards compliance.
You could always put a (hidden with MSIE conditional comment which is itself a hack, yet valid) message on the home page, inviting people with MSIE4/5 to upgrade their browser (to a standards compliant one).
Regards -- Bert Doorn, Better Web Design http://www.betterwebdesign.com.au/ Fast-loading, user-friendly websites
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