Web Standards

The St. Andrew website conforms to web standards for content markup and layout. The major benefit of this is that the site content is accessible on any browser or other device which understands HTML — including non-graphical or even non-visual devices.

The downside is that many older graphical browsers do not correctly handle the layout standards. (Instead, they use outmoded or propietary markup to handle layout.) On these browsers, the site will look very plain. If that's okay with you, then read no further. Otherwise...

Get a standards-compliant browser

Fortunately, there are standards-compliant browsers available for all major platforms. Almost all of them are free to download.

(If you have a slow connection and so don't want to take the time to download a new browser, you might want to check a newsstand for a computer magazine with a cover CD. Often these will include the newest browsers for the platform the magazine covers. But before you buy it, make sure it isn't just an ad for AOL.)

Microsoft Windows

  • Netscape 6.2 [ recommended ] — The newest version of the Netscape Navigator is the most standards-compliant mainstream browser. A perfect upgrade if you use Navigator 4, but a good upgrade no matter which older browser you use (even Internet Explorer 5, 5.5, or 6). Netscape is a free download.
  • Internet Explorer 6 — Microsoft's latest browser for windows is not standards-compliant, but it does a good job at faking it. Free download.
  • Opera — The Opera web browser is fast and small (version 5 is just a little over a 2 MB download) with a unique interface. Version 6 is pretty standards-compliant; version 5 is, too, but not so feature-rich so it may run better on older, slower computers. Opera 5 & 6 are free downloads, with a pay version available too.
  • Mozilla — Mozilla is the open-source project on which Netscape 6 (and many other browsers) are based. You probably only want to use it if you are a technical user, as there is no real support and new versions are released all the time. But it has the best support for W3C standards. Mozilla is free software.

Macintosh

  • Netscape 6.2 [ recommended ] — The newest version of the Netscape Navigator is the most standards-compliant mainstream browser. A perfect upgrade if you use Navigator 4. Netscape is a free download.
  • Internet Explorer 5.1 — Microsoft's browser for Macintosh is (reportedly) much more standards compliant than their windows browser. Available for MacOS 8, 9, and OS X.
  • Opera — The Opera web browser is fast and small with a unique interface. Version 5 is pretty standards-compliant and is available for MacOS 7, 8, and 9 and OS X (currently a beta). Opera 5 is a free download, with a pay version available too.
  • Mozilla — Mozilla is the open-source project on which Netscape 6 (and many other browsers) are based. You probably only want to use it if you are a technical user, as there is no real support and new versions are released all the time. But it has the best support for W3C standards. Mozilla is free software.

Linux (X11)

  • Mozilla [ recommended ] — Mozilla is the open-source project on which Netscape 6 (and many other browsers) are based. It has the best support for W3C standards and is widely tested on Linux. Mozilla is free software.
  • Netscape 6.2 — The newest version of the Netscape Navigator is the most standards-compliant mainstream browser. A perfect upgrade if you use Navigator 4. Netscape is a free download.
  • Opera — The Opera web browser is fast and small with a unique interface. It is very standards-compliant and is available for a variety of distributions. Opera is a free download, with a pay version available too. (Needs QT.)

Other platforms

  • Mozilla [ recommended ] — Mozilla is the open-source project on which Netscape 6 (and many other browsers) are based. It has the best support for W3C standards and is available for many platforms, including OS/2, HPUX, and Solaris. Mozilla is free software.
  • Opera — The Opera web browser is fast and small with a unique interface. It is very standards-compliant and is available for several platforms besides those above, including BeOS, Solaris, OS/2, QNX, and Symbian OS. Opera is a free download, with a pay version available too.

Notes

Browser Upgrades. Standards now.

This information was partially adapted from the Browser Upgrade Initiative of the Web Standards Project. That page may have more up-to-date recommendations for a new browser.

If you are a web developer, you may use any or all of the copy on this page for your own web standards advisory (without attribution).

Rhett Sutphin for the St. Andrew web team
May 2002