|
|
Posted by Joel Shepherd on 05/20/05 19:23
"tshad" <tscheiderich@ftsolutions.com> wrote:
> "Toby Inkster" <usenet200504@tobyinkster.co.uk> wrote:
> >
> > Default background colour is just another feature that browsers can and
> > should compete over.
Hmm. :-) Boy, in all the "Which is the Better Browser" discussions I've
seen, that particular feature has never come up. But anyway ...
> And why is that a good thing???
>
> If I have elements that are close a grey, because it looks good in IE, then
> it may be washed out in Netscape.
Well, it sounds like you're assuming that all browsers will use the same
background color, which simply isn't a safe assumption. Not just because
different browsers have different out-of-the-box defaults, but also
because users can change those defaults.
In general, if you're planning on setting the color of some element that
is going to be sitting on a background, it's wise to specify a
background color as well, to avoid problems just like the one you
mention.
> I think there are things you should be able to depend on, and if defaults
> can be anything - then they are useless as defaults.
Well, it would be nice to be able to depend on browsers sticking to the
specs. But A) Specific default colors aren't part of any spec that I'm
familiar with, and B) Since users can usually change the defaults in
their own installation, they can't be depended on anyway.
> Everyone is trying to get applications off the desktop and onto an
> interface. That is fine. But it isn't if you can't depend on the
> interface. If I build an application that has to be moved from machine to
> machine, that is a hassle, but at least I know what the Screen (interface)
> is going to look like.
Are you sure about that? Most operating system's GUIs -- including
Windows -- give the user a lot of flexibility to specify the color of
various elements, change font size, change thickness of borders, etc.
You're liable to run into the same problem if you don't take care to
specify foreground _and_ background colors when the defaults -- whatever
they are -- aren't being used.
--
Joel.
Navigation:
[Reply to this message]
|