On Netscape 4.x and the Stylesheets of LJ's S2 Layout Engine:

[acroyear]

Now I don't want to get into a rant here, but neither IE NOR Netscape follow the standards correctly. I support the standards, and also respect that one must move forwards in capabilities or be left behind by those that do. The browser wars were supposed to be about standards. Tragically, Netscape 1) lost the war and 2) didn't have a stable-enough code base to be fixed via open source methods (particularly when required 3rd party stuff was removed, leaving a lot of gaping functionality holes).

Thus, Mozilla had to basically start over w/ the new layout engine, Gecko. Newer *IS* better in this case, both in the Mac world and in the standards-based browsing world.

The style sheets are NOT poorly formated. They are perfectly legit to the standard; i ran 'em through a validator. That Netscape for doesn't (and will never) support the standard is neither our fault, nor LJs. That Netscape freezes or crashes as a result is certainly not our fault.

One can always try to go into the netscape configuration options dialog and turn off stylesheets. Netscape 4 allowed that, at least for windows/linux, though the resultant look was often horid and even more unreadable. The other option, seeing if the right-mouse-button menu had a "copy link location" (which it does in IE and Mozilla) isn't an option for OS 9 since Macs don't have that right mouse button to start with (and thus, most mac apps don't have those menus even for the macs with 2-button mice).

Mozilla as "newest and greatest" it most certainly isn't. Html 4.0 and CSS 2.0 are *3 years old*. Netscape 4.x is technically now 5 years old and 5 years abandoned. No bug fixes or functionality fixes have been done in ANY Netscape 4 release since 4.6. The only reason ANY release after 4.6 happened is to fix security issues to keep the feds (who'd committed to Netscape for a solution back in the 3.x days) from complaining. That's it. No other bugs like the multitude of CSS problems have ever been fixed in a Netscape 4 release since 4.6 over 5 years ago.

So no, I have no intention any more of crippling my stuff to work with a product that has been abandoned by its owners for half a decade.

The world moves on.

Comments

[dglenn.livejournal.com]

Go to http://www.livejournal.com/editinfo.bml and look at the last few items before the "Advanced Options" header. Check the box marked "View comment pages in your journal style?" This won't completely solve the problem, but it'll help a lot.

[acroyear70.livejournal.com]

as i posted below:

maybe we should file a bug report/feature request that "style=mine" become an option that can be permanent and affect all pages, whether its in the link or not. there are other usability/accessability reasons besides just lousy-CSS that people would prefer to have their "look" be what they use for the whole site.

Some people intentionally use larger fonts because of eye-sight problems; having huge fonts on their own page, then having to enlarge the fonts (if their browser supports it) every time they read a lj-cut or comment, then shrink them back down when they get back to their own/friends page is a tiresome excercise too.

[blueeowyn.livejournal.com]

Joe has the right to do what he wants on his journal. Just as on usenet, people have the right to post opinions that are not popular. This whole thing started with my comment that his new look didn't work for me (and I thought it might not work for others). I have read th e14 comments (using IE 5.1 which is the NEWEST browser available for OS9 that isn't seriously evil (NS 6 counts from what I hear)).

I admit that the style is (in my opinion) bad. But That is my opinion. On IE 5.1 Mac OS9 it looks sort of like:
"Some
people
intentionally
use
larger
fonts
because
of
eye-sight
problems;"

However, his choice. I did find some of his comments condescending BUT I also understand where he is coming from. I know that the browser options I have are limited. Life is bad sometimes.

So I don't get to read ptpgrad, acroyear70, faireraven, etc. on LJ or check the MS fund-raiser page. It ain't the end of the world. My being able to do stuff for work and sticking with something that I know is set up to help protect me from viruses, is easy on my eyes, and for me user friendly is important to me.

When I do HTML coding, I look at the lowest common denominator because A) it is easier for me, and B) it is much easier for me to stay compliant which I need to do for my job.