Using Web Browsers

As great as Web browsers are, you should be aware of some limitations. Although all HTML commands are the same, not all browsers interpret the commands in the same way. Some browsers, such as Lynx, can display only text (even if the HTML author added images to the document). Some older browsers do not understand the newer HTML commands and might produce errors rather than text. What's more, some of the newest browsers enable viewers to determine which window display sizes, fonts, and colors they prefer when viewing Web pages (even if those settings are different from what you, the Web author, want them to see). Don't despair; there is good news. Most Web pages look the same, or almost the same, on every browser regardless of the computer system: PC, Macintosh, or UNIX. With each lesson in this book, you'll find tips to help ensure that your pages are viewed as you intended. Keep these tips in mind as you create your own Web pages, and you'll avoid the disappointment that many novice Web authors face as they realize that the page they worked so hard on looks awful on another computer or browser.

Tip

The Web itself offers Web page designers the opportunity to preview their pages on a number of different browsers at one time. Web sites, such as AnyBrowser (www.anybrowser.com), show you exactly how each browser will interpret your page. You can use this information to redesign your page and help ensure that most people see it the way you intend.