Design Standards

New technologies for creating Web design effects are constantly emerging. However, there are no universal standards, especially in an environment where the two major browser manufacturers (Netscape and Microsoft) are competing to dominate the market with proprietary protocols. Add to the mix the myriad of other third-party companies offering plug-in options for these browsers, and you have a complicated set of choices that must be made.

Below are some design standards; which AGRAPHA recommends for developing problem-free Web sites.

HTML

HTML (HyperText Markup Language) which forms the basic structure of any Web site, is an evolving standard administered by the 3WC. Both Netscape and Microsoft, in an attempt to dominate the evolution of HTML, have added many (competing and incompatible) HTML commands to their browsers to use in displaying HTML. Fortunately, a basic standard does exist: HTML 4.0, the latest edition to obtain the approval of the 3WC, is supported with satisfactory consistency by both companies.

Active X and JavaScript

Active X and JavaScript are supplementary languages that add interactivity and graphic capabilities to Web pages. However both raise serious problems of inter-browser compatibility. Netscape browsers do not support Active X commands, and some JavaScripts that work well on one browser type will often not work (or crash violently) on others.

At AGRAPHA, we do not recommend the use of Active X in Web sites that must be viewed in Netscape. We also restrict our use of JavaScript to those scripts that either work well in both browser types, or can be bypassed by a browser type without any problems.

Plug-ins

Plug-ins are pieces of software manufactured by third-party companies which can be downloaded into your browser (either Microsoft or Netscape) and give it the capability to add special features. Some examples of plug-ins are Real Audio, Flash, and Shockwave.

Often, these plug-ins provide technologies far in advance of both Netscape's and Microsoft's offerings. However, in order for visitors to be able to view a site which relies on any plug-in, he or she must first download and install the plug-in. In many cases if a person does not have the required plug-in, he or she will simply turn away from visiting that Web site.

At AGRAPHA, we recommend avoiding plug-in proprietary protocols, unless they are used in a portion of the Web site that can be entered without negatively affecting the experience of all other visitors.

For professional Web site design, logo design, or custom graphics, contact AGRAPHA

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