I have only been working in web programming since July 1997 but I have had the opportunity to work on a fairly large number of sites in that time.

As most of the sites which I have worked on have been aimed at the Internet community in general (and not specifically at people with a lot of computer knowledge) I have had to target a broad range of browser and platform configurations.

If the user is required to be running such-and-such a browser on such-and-such a platform with the such-and-such plug-in installed most people would be reluctant to look around the site if they do not already have the required configuration. I try to allow all users to have the same viewing pleasure no matter what platform or plug-ins are being used. Obviously this is not always possible but alternatives should be provided and only in the last instance should a message such as "Sorry, your browser cannot display this site".

I consider the best approach to be to design for the middle of the road browsers and then offer a better experience of the same content for whose with better equipment.

Ultimately however, it is up to the customer how backward (or forward) compatible the site will be as it takes time, both for coding and for testing to try to ensure that the site works well in all browser configurations.

Well, that's enough from me, if you're still reading this then you're in the minority as studies into current trends show that few people bother to read large chunks of text such as I have just written - no point in writing more if no one is going to read it!

Slideshow

A JavaScript slideshow is available which will take you through some of the sites which I have worked on. To load the slideshow click here.

Site List

Below is a list of some of the sites and CD-ROM's which I have worked on whilst freelancing for Active Multimedia in Belfast, Northern Ireland.