Dougal Campbell's geek ramblings

WordPress, web development, and world domination.

Browsenberg Uncertainty Principle

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.”

About Dougal Campbell

Dougal is a web developer, and a "Developer Emeritus" for the WordPress platform. When he's not coding PHP, Perl, CSS, JavaScript, or whatnot, he spends time with his wife, three children, a dog, and a cat in their Atlanta area home.
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