Re: Tooltips ?

From: mayayana (mayaXXyana1a_at_mindYYspring.com)
Date: 02/26/05 

Date: Sat, 26 Feb 2005 15:23:24 GMT

> Had I changed it to vbscript, then perhaps you're right but since it's in
> javascript, it will be supported by IE6 more than 3 miles from Redmond.
>

   Well, of course I was exagerating there, but what I was
getting at is that people not only need to be using IE6 -
they also need to be enabling script and ActiveX. (Even an
IE devotee like yourself would have to admit that that's
a somewhat risky way to be travelling around the Internet.)

    The TITLE method works for everyone. The invisible-to-visible
DIV with a high zindex method works if script is enabled (about 90%
of visitors). Even 90% success is a very poor way to do webpages
unless the functionality is superfluous to the purpose of the page.
The IE popup method works only in IE6 with script enabled.

> : In Firefox, with or without script enabled, there is only:
>
> You're in a client-side vbscript NG.
>
> http://techrepublic.com.com/5100-6270_11-5299400.html#
> Firefox does not load Active X controls, it does not support VBScript, ...
> Why would you even consider testing anything in Firefox from this NG?
>

    The original poster was saying that he wanted to
use the popup effect "in my site". That's admittedly
a bit off-topic, but that was the post. And your link
was to a publicly-posted website. I figured that
your response could waste a lot of time for a lot
of people if they don't know much about web design:
  Someone sees your sample. They download your page
and use the code. They test it out in their browser,
which happens to be IE6. They're tickled by the result
and use that code all over their website, completely
unaware that many people won't see it. Later they
have to go back and fix the whole thing. I thought it
was important for such people to realize that your
method was only relevant for a specialized, semi-
private usage, and you didn't mention that issue
yourself in the post.

    You mentioned that you see very little of IE5 at
your website. But what about Firefox/Mozilla? The
general usage of IE among inexperienced
mainstream is now at about 90%. If you combine
that with known script figures then script/IE is
working with about 80-85% of visitors. Among more
experienced users, Mozilla browsers are far more
common. At my own website the vast majority of
visitors are coming for VBS-related things. Many
of those are small-company network administrators
running Windows systems, judging from my email.
Yet last time I checked, about 2 months ago, I was
getting about 65% IE users, with most of the rest
being some version of Mozilla. (Opera at less than 1%.)

    Clearly you and I disagree, with you not liking
Firefox and me regarding IE as commercialized crap
that gets worse with every release. (When friends call
me up to ask how they can stop windows popping up
all over their screen uncontrollably, I don't need to ask
what browser they're using. It can only be IE!)
 But I don't think all of that matters when doing a website.
If you want most people to see your pages as you intend
them, then you have to relate to different browsers.