Web Standards
X-UA-Compatible and HTML5
If you for some reason have to use the non-standard X-UA-Compatible header to force standards mode in IE, be aware that it is invalid HTML5. Fortunately it is easy to fix.
Validation matters
Many kinds of validation errors do not effect the end result at all. But in almost all cases neither does correcting those errors, so there is no point in not doing so.
What characters are allowed unencoded in query strings?
Trying to bring clarity to exactly what characters can be used in URL query strings without first percent encoding them.
Be careful with non-ascii characters in URLs
Unless you have really strong internationalisation requirements, consider sticking to the following characters in URLs: a-z, A-Z, 0-9, -, ., _, and ~.
The Web is a web of content, not an application framework
The Web excels at enabling people to find and share information, but it is not a particularly good platform for creating and delivering "desktop-class applications".
A call for consistent display of alt text across browsers
How browsers display alt text for missing images varies, so it would be nice to see this standardised by specifying the recommended behaviour in HTML 5.
New W3C website launched
The new W3C website was launched on October 13, 2009. It sports a new design, new content, new information architecture, and a bit of invalid CSS (which has caused some debate).
Professional front-end engineering explained
An excellent presentation of what it means to work as a front-end developer, and how important our work is to the overall health of the web.
Character encoding
Character encoding can be very tricky to get right all the way from your keyboard to the end user’s browser, but reading these two articles may increase your chances of getting it right.
Google to webmasters: Write clean HTML and consider accessibility
Google encourages webmasters to make sure their websites work in all browsers by writing valid HTML and considering accessibility.
What does Acid3 mean to you and me?
Opera and Apple have announced that their web browsers pass the Acid3 Browser Test, but how will that help web designers and developers?
The Email Standards Project launches
A project that will work with email client developers and web designers to improve web standards support and accessibility in HTML email has been launched.
The W3C process may be slow, but browser vendors are slower
Don’t blame the W3C for being slow when the real problem is browser vendors not implementing existing specifications fully and properly.
Help improve support for Web Standards in HTML email
HTML email sucks, but it isn’t going away. So instead of complaining we should do what we can to help improve support for Web Standards in email clients.
A letter from WASP-EduTF to Skolverket
An attempt to influence the Swedish National Agency for Education to update the web development methods being taught in Swedish schools.
Ten reasons to learn and use web standards
Some of the most important reasons for spending the time to learn all about using web standards to design and develop websites.
Are invalid attributes valid?
A discussion on whether invalid HTML attributes may be acceptable under some circumstances.
Converting your team
Being the only person on a team of web designers and developers who knows or cares about web standards is probably very common. I’m sure m…
Content negotiation, AdSense, and comments
A few weeks ago I posted about my experiences with content negotiation, and some roadblocks I ran into when looking to serve XHTML documen…
Web development mistakes, redux
There have been a lot of comments on my recent post about common web development mistakes, and that’s great. Not all comments are of the k…
Web development mistakes
When I visit a website, especially if it’s the site of a competitor or a prospective client, I like viewing source and take a look at what…
Tables for layout?
Recently, both Andy Budd and Dave Shea have written about how they consider using tables for layout acceptable in some cases. While I unde…
Fear of web standards
When I made Developing with web standards (and the Swedish version, Webbutveckling med standarder) available online, I didn’t really know …
Developing with web standards, now in English
A couple of weeks ago I promised to make an English version of Webbutveckling med standarder. Well, I spent most of the Easter weekend tra…
Developing with web standards
A couple of weeks back I published Webbutveckling med standarder, a document in Swedish in which I attempt to explain web standards and ac…
Webbutveckling med standarder
The title of this entry may not mean much to most of my readers since it is in Swedish. The reason for that is that I’ve finally gone ahea…
Standards, semantics and old habits
Lately several people have written about how many people who learned HTML a few years ago have problems accepting that they need to relear…
Apple to join the web standards race
Douglas Bowman of Stopdesign and Jeffrey Zeldman of Happy Cog Studios are going to help Apple Computer make their web site standards compl…
Making a case for standards and accessibility
A common hurdle on the way towards a modern, standards compliant web site is making management, designers and clients understand the benef…
RIP BUC
The Web Standards Project’s Browser Upgrade Campaign has been retired. Guess I have to go through a bunch of sites where I have used a hid…