Robust Web Design - part 1

For a change I will speak of Dos and not about Don’ts. Who likes a wailing moron anyway?

On a mark, get…

The first thing to do before we start off into code is to acknowledge and assess ones own competencies. Most often, I see people, who fool themselves into the misconception, that web-design is simple. Well they are not exactly guilty. Most often one can see that HTML is no rocket science. A two day reading of the material is sufficient. Any design can be realized with the knowledge of tables. The challenge is convincing oneself that there are things beyond the obvious, and learning is never obviated (warning: obviate isn’t a synonym of obvious). The litmus test I would use: Ask the developers if they are aware of something called quirks mode.

The first phrase is DOCTYPE and a great leap for design

Neil Armstrong landed on moon, and it was rocket science. Now DOCTYPE doesn’t leave a trail of fire, nor is a achievement telecasted globally. Besides that, DOCTYPE is one part that is capable of setting you on fire and telecast your monumental failure across the group.
The possible DOCTYPE declarations and their effects are well presented in Quirks_mode
My suggestion, use XHTML strict in standards mode. Note that having any comments before DOCTYPE declaration in IE trigger quirks mode. One may occasionally wonder why go to such extremes, the answer is simple: Invest and Profit or Ignore and Pay later. A strict standards adherence guarantees minimal deviation across browsers. ‘Almost strict’ is also desirable though.

Raise and Fall of mark-up – XHTML

The most interesting thing about standards is that they promise huge benefits and deliver little. XHTML is one aspect of standards that raises my suspicions. Just to avoid the notoriety of being an eccentric designer, use XHTML. Who knows, somewhere down the line there may come a day. I bet that Michael Faraday never dreamt of the modern marvels of electricity the day he discovered it.