Posted by Ed Mullen on 02/18/07 04:55

Helpful Harry wrote:
> In article <OeWdnYIKe7EwWUrYnZ2dnUVZ_hCdnZ2d@comcast.com>, Ed Mullen
> <ed@edmullen.net> wrote:
>
>> Helpful Harry wrote:
>>> In article <592et2tcm5m4d9ioo91v2uh1nu0ip4f35b@4ax.com>, Andy Dingley
>>> <dingbat@codesmiths.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> On Sat, 17 Feb 2007 12:11:10 +1300, Helpful Harry
>>>> <helpful_harry@nom.de.plume.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> The sound of the point going right over your head. :o)
>>>> Over _yours_ more like.
>>>>
>>>>> HTML tags are [...] they are a way to
>>>>> tell a browser how to render a page on-screen.
>>>> Not for 10 years they haven't been.
>>> Yep, so a browser makes it up as it goes along, completely ignoring
>>> HTML tags ... that makes sence, NOT! (Except perhaps in the case of
>>> Internet Explorer.)
>>>
>>> Of course HTML tags tell the browser how to render a page. That's what
>>> the HTML was designed to do. :o\
>> You're almost right but, no, you don't fully understand.
>>
>> Look at it this way. Suppose you are setting out to create a browser
>> from scratch. You want it to be "standards compliant." You read the
>> standards. You find many parts that "suggest" how a particular HTML tag
>> is rendered. However, the standard does not "mandate" how that tag is
>> rendered. So. You could, for instance, design your browser to render
>> <blah> as suggested by the standard: Italic-Bold-Sans-Serif. Or not.
>> You might choose: Monospace-Big-Red. You would not be violating the
>> standard because the standard doesn't mandate how a browser renders <blah>.
>
> Yes, I know different browser sometimes render tags differently, but
> that's completely off the point.

Not in context of what you said (see below).

> The original person said Postscript defines a page while HTML defines a
> "relationship between information component" - complete nonsense. Both
> are designed to render a page, one on a printer (usually) and one on a
> web browser.

I was prompted to respond not by the OP's statements but by yours,
vis-a-vis: "... so a browser makes it up as it goes along, completely
ignoring HTML tags ..." My remarks were in response to that statement,
nothing else. Browsers (at least well-designed ones) do NOT make up
anything as they go along. They look to the standard as a guideline
and, where possible, adhere to it. Where the standard is ambiguous
they, rightfully so, make a decision as to what will be "good (in the
minds of the designers)."

Your contention (or implication) that the standard is absolute is not
valid. The further statement that "... HTML tags tell the browser how to
render a page ..." is only partially true, and that's what I pointed
out: The HTML standard is ambiguous on many points, NOT mandating what
a compliant browser should do, only /suggesting/ a possibly preferred
method of rendering.

Life is messy. Sex is messy. So are Web standards. But they're all
kinda fun, eh?

--
Ed Mullen
http://edmullen.net
http://mozilla.edmullen.net
http://abington.edmullen.net
If you have a difficult task, give it to a lazy person; they'll find an
easier way to do it.

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