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Okay, I am designing a site for a friend and I finally have to deal with something I have been all but avoiding. The problem with text differences between Explorer and Netscape. Does ANYONE know how to edit the text so that it will be viewed at the same size on both Explorer and Netscape. If you are confused about what I am talking about and you can access the internet with both browsers, please visit the URL below. http://members.fortunecity.com/executivelawn/index.html Please help, asap!! Thank You Schnaps

Sorry to say. NOT Really. Different browsers, different sizes, different Platforms, very different sizes. :-( CSS / Dynamic Style sheets / Dynamic HTML try to get around this, but still not 100%. Still different sizes though much much closer. The end user can change the font size in the browser. James

James is right, there isn't really any way to make the fonts the same size in IE as in NS. Paul

See, I thought so...I have never been successful before. I have tried different kinds of code and nothing seems to work. Oh well, if anyone comes up with something let me know! Thanx. Schnaps

Actually, there IS a way, but it's not very pretty or efficient - you see, you have to use a screen capture of the page as an Image Map, and you'd need to use JavaScript or VBScript to change the color of visited links. As long as you're using the fonts AS fonts, then you can't force browsers to view the page identically. But if you use the fonts as graphics you have total control... A slower, more cumbersome page, but total control. And a site done THIS way will load much faster under Netscape, than under IE, BTW.

Actually, I just viewed the page on both, side by side, and there is no differences in the font sizes or styles. If you are really worried that one browser may not be able to view it properly, you may need to java a page that determines if the user is on IE or Netscape. of course, then you will have to make a page for IE and a page for Netscape users. More work than necessary.

You can do that detection thing with JavaScript or VBScript, HOWEVER: 1) If you use JavaScript, and the viewer has it turned off, you have no way of automatically controlling what version is loaded, and 2) VBScript doesn't always work right on Netscape. If the user has everything set to default values, and has the right font(s) installed, everything SHOULD display identically. It's only if the user doesn't have the right fonts or has done something funky with display settings somewhere that things end up looking very different on most pages (unless you use DHTML, then good luck...)

Don't even mention DHTML, what a nightmare! Good to hear that someone is viewing it correctly in both browsers. I already thought about making graphics for text rather than using fonts, but this page needs to load much more quickly than that approach would allow. As far as I am concerned, Netscape is superior (don't shoot me, it's just an opinion) because of it's faster load times and more total control of fonts. Anyway, I have found that cheating never works and I will just leave it the way it is. More comments are appreciated. Have a good one! Schnaps

The really only capable way to display text in both browser at any close is to check the users-browserinstallation with Java. But also with this you don't have the control with which settings the user surfs. I think the easyest way is to structure your texts in tables and with break-tags etc. I promisse you the next problem comes at that time of release of the next generation of IE- or Netscape. I suggest, forget to want to make things that looks in each browser 100% the same, because it's impossible. It would be a neverending story. Best is to make a compromise, it saves time and nerves. Sorry to give you this bad answer. SHARKEY

Netscape has a lot of good features - among them loading graphics images faster. It also has some BAD features - like saving temporary files wherever it feels like, sometimes over the FAT - wich is OK if you exit the program correctly, but can TOTALLY destroy your hard drive in the event of a crash. IE has it's advantages too - it loads text and fonts (especially TrueType) much more quickly than Netscape and is, in general, more stable. Unfortunately, it also allows for some REALLY shoddy code to be used, code that will guarantee a crash in other browsers sometimes... I prefer Netscape, but use IE more often because it's easier to load and more stable under Win98...

Look at it this way: The desire to have them be the same is faulty. =) It is the nature of a well designed web page that it doesn't assume the size that text will be displayed. It's like that on purpose. You shouldn't assume anything about the browser, just serve up the page in pure, unadulterated html, and let the cards fall where they may. That would be 'getting' the Internet. Think of the people on cell phones. I know it will be a tough sell to your friend, but you've been right about this so far as you've resisted it. That said, my browser of choice is iCab, because it renders strict html, tags a page with icon to tell you if it contains 'good' or 'bad' html, and even has Bigger and Smaller buttons for text size so you can change it on the fly (I just clicked. Cause I coud...). "This page Optimized for..." is an 'embrace and extend' strategy.