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Pages
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with PHP.
Graphics
made with Macromedia
Fireworks.
Site design and development by Lanny Heidbreder.
Web Standards
What are they?
A group of people and companies called the W3C is in charge of deciding what computer languages should be used to make web pages, and how browsers (like Internet Explorer and Netscape) should "decode" them.
Back in the old days, the Browser Wars happened. Remember when Internet Explorer and Netscape were in the news all the time? Well, old versions of those programs encouraged web designers to make slow, hard-to-maintain sites. People actually had to make different versions of their website for different browsers. For big companies with big sites, that costs a LOT of money. For little sites by a person or two (like this one), it's just impossible to do.
Today that's coming to an end. All major browsers are part of the W3C, and they're trying to agree on how things should be done. We're not there yet, but we're getting closer.
What can I do?
Simple: Keep your browser up to date. Website developers know what browsers people use on their site. The more that people use modern browsers, the more people will make the switch to fast, easy-to-handle, standards-compliant websites.
What do I get out of it?
For you, this means sites download faster, are easier to use, and are just plain cooler. For people with disabilities, this also means sites are completely accessible and usable.
Sounds good!
Then take a few minutes to upgrade your browser. It's completely free from any of the following sites:
- Microsoft Internet Explorer. Now on version 6. It's the one everyone knows, but it has some severe bugs. If you've never used anything else, you might try one of these others!
- Mozilla. Almost identical to Netscape, which recently shut down. Netscape is dead, but Mozilla lives on. If you use Netscape, upgrade to Mozilla!
- Mozilla Firefox. By the same folks who brought you Netscape. While Netscape/Mozilla has e-mail built in, Firefox is a web browser only. Thought by many to be the best browser for Windows.
- Opera. Another nice browser. The free version has a banner ad always on the screen, but it's not very bothersome.