How to design for all browsers?

[boron]

Is it posible to design a site so it will look properly in all browsers? Is it possible to redesign a site which look messy in some browsers? HTML will not be enough, I guess.

[rjp]

You have two options. You can have a site that is always a specific width, or you can have a site that uses a relative width for the main content so that the sizes changes depending on the browser.

For example, my site http://www.smartcapper.com uses a fixed width for the entire page so that it fits into a majority of browsers, while my site http://www.whichteamwins.com uses a relative size for the content so that it grows or shrinks depending on the browser size.

Properly is a relative word, as you're never going to get everything to look exactly the same if you relative widths.

[boron]

If you use relative width, will all the objects (menus, title, graphics...) within the site shrink/extend with the site or not? Why the title here (http://browsershots.org/png/full/b4/b4cbc601ead47462ee019214ecad40dd.png) moved to the left?

[rjp]

Something is jacked up with the positioning on the page in the image.

You should only use relative widths for the portions of your site that you want to grow/shrink depending on browser size. Things like headers and navigation menus should be a fixed width.

[camuk19]

Don't use css :P

[Mystic]

If you have valid codes (and stick to html/xhtml/css/php etc instead of using too fancy stuff) your website will render fine in proper browsers like Opera, Firefox, Safari. Ie may break it if you use advanced Css. So try to avoid that (but by all means use css, tables suck). It doesnt matter if its fluid width or fixed width.
Dont design websites in stupid software like Frontpage.

Something is jacked up with the positioning on the page in the image.

You should only use relative widths for the portions of your site that you want to grow/shrink depending on browser size. Things like headers and navigation menus should be a fixed width.

If it is fluid width, the entire thing has to be fluid width. For example you use fuild width for normal site content, but make the header fixed width, what will happen is in small resolutions the header will break the formatting.

[rjp]

The header should be a fixed height and the navigation menus should be a fixed width.

Part of it should be realtive, like the width of the header and the height of the navigation menu, but part of it should be fixed, too.

[Andrew]

Don't use css :P

Disregard this comment.

If you are going to use a fixed with, just make sure it is less than ~780 pixels or, wider by not much more, as 800x600 is still used enough to support. Otherwise, a fluid (or relative width as someone above called it) is a good option also. Just make sure it works.

[Submerge]

I aim for simplicity. All browsers should be able to pull off the simple shapes, etc. It's when you get into the graphical situations when they start screwing up.