Co-worker Stephen Touset has described what he calls the Browsenberg Uncertainty Principle:
As one increases the layout precision of a section on a webpage, all other sections of the page have their layouts perturbed by a proportional amount.
And its corollary:
The more precisely one specifies positioning and layout for a page in one browser, the less accurately every other browser will render it.
Make sure you follow the link and also read his example of a typical exchange between a customer and a web designer. It’s funny because it’s true.
If only we could get customers to read articles like 12 Lessons for Those Afraid of CSS and Standards. Especially “Lesson No. 2: It’s not going to look exactly the same everywhere unless you’re willing to face some grief… and possibly not even then.”
Yes, it may seem humorous, but it is also very true.
Hi, I’m new to blogging and to AdSense. I’ve been clicking around on your AdSense links a bit. Hope that helps. You were linked on my blog when I started it.
[...] Browsenberg Uncertainty Principle – Personally I enjoy the “variety” you get with different browser renderings. [...]
Doh! Sorry about that — it should be fixed now. At least I had the link to the main page, so people could still find it, even though the direct article link was borked.
I think you borked the link to my site, Dougal
Sadly, the example is more of an anecdote than fiction.
Speakin gof the 12 Lessons, I think 10 is just as salient, and maybe even more relevant. “Working around rendering bugs is like playing Whack-a-Mole”.