IE and Netscape backward compatible

[domuk]

Is there a way to check out a web page in Netscape without having to install it on my computer?

I am maintaining a website for a friend and have IE6. He wants to make the webpage accessible to the widest number of people possible. What is your advice on how far i should make this webpage IE and Netscape backward compatible?

And where could I get older versions of IE and Netscape?

Thanks,

Dom..

[Charles]

If you want your web site accessible to the "widest number of people possible" then do the following:

1) Start with a page that is properly marked up in HTML 4.01 Strict and that works. This means no using of TABLEs for layout.
http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/

2) Follow the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0
http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/

3) Add presentation and layout using CSS.
http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-CSS2/

Netscape 4 will get wrong CSS positioning but it doesn't understand the @import rule. You can use this to create a Netscape 4 specific style.

[domuk]

Thanks for your help Charles,

I have also found a Netscape emulator

http://home.earthlink.net/~woogieoogieboogie/navemulator/nnemupre.html#

however i want to check out the website in IE4 and Netscape 4.

Is there a true emulator or do I have to install these versions on my pc? If I have to install then where do I get the older versions of IE and Netscape?

I do not want to install and would much prefer to visit a site as above link.

Any help will be very much appreciated,

Thanks again,

Dom..

[AdamGundry]

I don't know of any online emulators, but you can download most browsers from the evolt browser archive (http://browsers.evolt.org/).

Adam

[domuk]

thanks Adam,

will try that....:)