> "When you're making websites for big clients, you have to deal with things like browser compatibility on every version of IE back to 7 (and yes, it is expected that those rounded borders work on IE7 and render the same as in chrome). You need an HTML star to pull that off."
Or a diligent resetter of expectations. And HTML star should be able to effectively argue against that sort of requirement. Otherwise, what are you paying him for? Markup monkeys are dime a dozen, and there's an A List Apart Sliding Doors article those code monkeys can just follow.
I'd expect more from an HTML star than just knowing how we did rounded corners before border-radius. I'd expect leadership, and standing for correctness.
In both Yahoo and Amazon we succeeded in pushing back against rounded corners in browsers that don't support border-radius. Because that's the pragmatic thing to do.
Browser compatibility doesn't mean pixel-exact layouts, it means that the core objectives of the site are functioning in a customer-supportive way.
Rarely do customers bring up the site in two browsers side-by-side and decide not to buy because the website wasn't identical in both.
You're right, and I often try to do as you say. But in the end the customer's wishes are the deciding factor for me, and unfortunately they often don't budge despite my argumentation. And I consider myself pretty good at convincing and explaining.
If I were a full-time employee, I would fight hard, but I feel that my role as a freelancer is to inform, and then do as the client asks anyways, within reason. Rounded corners on ie7 is within reason, as far as I'm concerned.
Obviously if a client keeps insisting on all sorts of ridiculous things, my enjoyment of the project plummets and I might look elsewhere for projects that I actually enjoy. But that's only because I can afford to say no in the current economy.
Or a diligent resetter of expectations. And HTML star should be able to effectively argue against that sort of requirement. Otherwise, what are you paying him for? Markup monkeys are dime a dozen, and there's an A List Apart Sliding Doors article those code monkeys can just follow.
I'd expect more from an HTML star than just knowing how we did rounded corners before border-radius. I'd expect leadership, and standing for correctness.
In both Yahoo and Amazon we succeeded in pushing back against rounded corners in browsers that don't support border-radius. Because that's the pragmatic thing to do.
Browser compatibility doesn't mean pixel-exact layouts, it means that the core objectives of the site are functioning in a customer-supportive way.
Rarely do customers bring up the site in two browsers side-by-side and decide not to buy because the website wasn't identical in both.