Netscape 4 Compatability

[Wilexa]

Just a bit of frustration here. Maybe more than a bit.

 

Many of my visitors are still using Netscape 4.7X!. Yuck! Up to 30% of my 1500 or so unique visitors a month are logged as NN4.

 

Everytime I try and make a nice-looking page with CSS, I make sure it passes the W3C validators. When I check it in Netscape, though, the page invariably broken. So I remove element after element until at least most of the content displays. There are many resources out there describing the (lack of) CSS support in NN4, and I use them, but even slimming down the CSS to the bare minimum is somtimes not enough. So I still must use tables.

 

Movable Type would make my life so much easier, but it seems to be a no-go with NN4.

 

Sorry for the bit of a rant, I would just like to spend some time adding content to my site instead of checking compatability with an ancient (5 years?) browser.

 

I know others have discussed this endlessly on the net, but I would like to ask my fellow TCHers: How long do we need to support Netscape 4?

 

Any thoughts?

 

...Dave Rock Sign

[TCH-Sales]

Well see this is what you do.. you sneak up behind them real slowly then wack them over the head with a big stick! No, no, no.. I'm kidding...

 

Running through the validators is a good idea, but that doesn't always mean your site will work with an older browser, that just means that it's up to date with the latest compliance to whatever you are checking.

 

Really here you have two choices, to use new and better techniques or to stay in the stone age to keep old browsers happy. I hate to say create two diffrent versions of your site, like a light version and a heavy version but in the long run your never going to be able to make every browswer happy.

 

Like the old saying goes, you can make some of the people happy some of the time, but not all of the people, all of the time. Maybe if you know some of these stone-age browser users, give them a wink and a nudge to upgrade to Mozilla Firebird? (Okay I like Mozilla Firebird, and if I sugested IE6, I'd probably be flogged by the masses)

[LunarMagic]

I gave up. I'm just establishing one site and the other is entirely personal (as in, if you can't read it, too damn bad!)... and I figure if they want to see it, they have to at least be current, or semi-current. It's hard enough getting it compatable with opera, ie and netscape.

 

 

PS, how can I tell from my webalizer stats which browser they're using? They all seem very similar... ie, Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows 98). I don't see anything referencing Netscape and they all hae MSIE in them. Sooo... am I being lied to, or do none of my viewers use Netscape? LOL

[Wilexa]

Lunar...

 

Here's the line from my Analog Stats page that shows Netscape 4:

 

207914:  2672: Mozilla/4.73 [en]C-CCK-MCD Boeing Kit  (Windows NT 5.0; U)

 

You have to interpret the code. (It doesn't say MSIE and it does say 4.73).

 

Maybe you DON'T have any Netscape visitors (lucky you!).

 

But usually I use awstats for 99% of my info.

 

...Dave

[Wilexa]

Mitch...

 

Thanks for the advice! Maybe having a "lite" site for NN4 users is the way to go.

 

Maybe I can let them see the "today's news" section but the extensive archives and cross-indexing is for more more modern browsers. That way only one or a few pages need special attention.

 

...Dave Rock Sign

[TCH-Sales]

Yeah, I like AWStats a lot more too for stats like that. Also, I agree it's a pain to get things working with Mozilla (Netscape), Opera and IE without worrying about really old versions. Of course it's not good to sit on the bleeding edge of new page design either.. You just got to find a good place inbetween.

 

[TCH-Sales]

Mitch...

 

Thanks for the advice! Maybe having a "lite" site for NN4 users is the way to go.

 

Not a problem, if there's anything I know better than customer service, about it's the pain of layout design..

[TCH-JimE]

Hi,

 

I used to have to code for NS4, but now, its near impossible and the technology is outdated that NS4 uses, so now all sites are coded to IE 5.5+ NS6+ and anything else that might work with it. THe users are warned that the page needs these browsers and may not work with anything lower. I do then browse the site in NS4, but its time to slowly put that browser to bed. Permanently.

 

Also a word on AWSTATS is that its not perfect. If a NS4 user browsers your site regularly but has say a dial up connection that changes his IP each time, AWSTATS will see it each time as a new visitor.

 

Jim

[boxturt]

If a NS4 user browsers your site regularly but has say a dial up connection that changes his IP each time, AWSTATS will see it each time as a new visitor.

 

I didn't know that and it explains a couple of minor things. Thanks.