Standards (5 articles)
10 mistruths about Web Standards
Web standards can be technically described as a collection of strict disciplines we use to create content accessible via the World Wide Web. The term is also associated with building said content according to the best practices outlined by the W3C and other professional web organisations at large. But Web Standards aren’t immune to the myths perpetrated by noobs and professionals ali...
Read full article | 9 comments , most recent by CSS Babe
Tell your clients why web standards should matter to them
You and I both know the importance of web standards, but what about your clients? If you were to ask if a web standards compliant web site is important to them, you'll probably be met with a stare not too dissimilar to a deer in headlights. In all likelihood your client doesn't know what web standards are, or they have a grossly uninformed interpretation. One of my clients once said very matter...
Read full article | 8 comments , most recent by Ian
Why you should be using XHTML Strict
The truth be told, there's no good reason to be using the Transitional doc type in modern web design. At least IMHO. XHTML Strict as the name suggests is a more disciplined flavour of HTML, but it has the added advantage of forcing you to separate the presentation from the structure. This is partly because a lot of the valid attributes in Transitional that some designers use for presentation a...
Read full article | 11 comments , most recent by Sarah
Avoiding div soup
When I first made the transition from tables to divs for layout (yeah, I was that guy once upon a time!), I clearly remember being frustrated at how difficult it was to achieve my goals without over using the div tag. My main problem aside from still finding my CSS feet was I had completely ignored what the div tag was intended for. I was using <div> as if it were the holy grail of achie...
Read full article | 8 comments , most recent by That Web Guy
Don't use target=_blank
Despite what you may have heard from your boss who doubles as a 'usability expert', people actually like to have control over their browser. One of the most infuriating ways to annoy web surfers (me included) is to make decisions for us, and if you're forcing external links into new windows or tabs then you're doing exactly that. The thing is, I know how to use my browser, and so do others. If ...
Read full article | 20 comments , most recent by That Web Guy