A client calls you, they want a new website. You both agree to the terms and you start hacking. You build a dynamic site that’s fast, achieves everything the client wants, and more. You both agree to go gold on it. You proceed to bring the site up fully functional on the client’s backup server. After it is done. You bring the backup online, and bring down the main server. It’s late, you call it a day. Your client calls you first thing in the morning, he was bragging about his new site. And it didn’t show right, some of it didn’t show at all. How could this happen! He is so embarrassed! His friends are laughing at him now! I thought you knew what you were doing!

This is a consultant’s nightmare. I mean, how to explain that IE 5.0 just doesn’t cut it anymore. You want your site to be snazzy, update, modern, and all those other buzz words. And you want it to work on your old PC at home too. I want my cake and I want to eat it too. That old saying rings true more often than not in this business.

The totally frustrating part is trying to support multiple browsers. The big three have so many incompatibilities that causes havoc in numerous areas. CSS is one of them. I found out just this morning that the this site has some incompatibilities with the newest IE patch. Or a patch that was delivered in January. Regardless, our title is jacked in IE at the moment. FireFox and Mozilla are fine thankfully. But, IE controls 70% of the browser market. Which means if you read this on the day I posted it, you have already seen the image glitch. Funny how things are sometimes.

All browsers should display the same page the same way. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. Then visitors can use whatever they like. No more of that “This page designed for Internet Explorer” or other such nonsense. I want to see “This page designed with no code tricks, tests, or whatnot to work in all browsers.”

PS - A quick trip to Windows Update got the client’s temper to calm down and got me the final portion of my check. Client satisfaction is closely followed by fiscal satisfaction!