>I have not done that much web development, and am just diving into ASP.NET, so take my comments with a grain of salt. I think the differences in the way each browser renders HTML is fairly well known. I remember when developing with West Wind a couple of years ago, we could tell if it was a Netscape or IE browser, and change slightly the HTML we returned. See inline comments below for more specific answers:

Sure, but what about FUTURE versions of non-MS browsers???? Now I am to trust MS code to do a best-render job for those (that they want out of the way)?
>
SNIP
>>It occurs to me that doing this well for any of the possible requesting browsers requires intimate 'knowledge' of that specific browser. While I can easily see there being no problem as regards MS' Internet Explorer, I wonder how NetScape or Opera or any other browser can be adequately 'represented' under this scenario.
>>
>>It seems to me that this is something that we should be concerned about. Issues surrounding this may include:
>>1) Who writes the code responsible for doing the best rendering job for each browser?
>>--- Does MS write it for IE, AOL for NetScape, etc.?
>
>Someone at Microsoft.

From your cautious opening I'll assume that you are guessing here. But assuming that it *IS* MS that writes the code for future versions of non-MS browsers (to deliver vest-rendering via ASP.NET), does it makes sense to trust them to do a BEST-POSSIBLE rendering in all cases? And what about lead times to get this done?... Do they have to obtain pre-release copies of other browsers in order to be able to do this?...Is that likely to happen?... What about bug-fix releases for those other browsers?
>
>>2) How does it get installed and maintained on our systems?
>
>I believe it is part of the .NET framework. When ASP.NET realizes that the client browser is Netscape version 3. whatever, and knows that your page wants to display an HTML table, it returns the HTML code that works best with Netscape.

OK. But browsers are not released on the same schedule as ASP.NET or the .NET framework or anything else related to MS. Will they have to be now?...Will other browser suppliers live to this? Or will the components in question have to have some other 'update' facility tied to such things as new/revised OTHER browser releases?

>
>>3) Can the code responsible be maintained separately for each independent browser?
>>---a) Can I identify separately the version/level/build of the subject code for each of IE, NetScape, Opera, etc.?
>
>Yes, through Request.Browser. Some sample code from the online docs:
>
>Response.Write("

Browser Capabilities:

")
>Response.Write("Type = " & bc.Type & "
")
>Response.Write("Name = " & bc.Browser & "
")
SNIP

No, Chris, I'm talking about that part of the internal ASP.NET (or framework) code that is responsible for the "best-render" capability INTERNAL to the MS component(s) implied. As OTHER browsers are fixed or enhanced or released in new versions then either new code is required OR old code needs to be changed to do the "best-render" job. Can we identify, add/update/remove THAT code so that, if it should happen to break some existing and working (under the old code) stuff it can be replaced?

>>---b) Can I see which version of the corresponding browser each is designed for?
>>---c) Can I have separate versions (of this 'best-render-code') for different versions of each possible browser?
>>---d) Can I add/update/remove separate versions of the 'best-render-code' as I see fit?
>
>For answers b-d, I don't think you need to do this, although you can do it inline if you need to.

Well it looks to me that I may need to be able to do this stuff, and it is mainly because of these concerns that I posed the question I did at the end of my original (can someone who knows enlighten me as to how MS plans to accomplish this).

>
>>4) Does this create a nightmare for maintenance?
>>--- Is this another means to push other browsers out of the picture?
>
>I don't think so. It is making it easier to use other browsers, actually. Since you don't have to do so much work to make your application work correctly in all the major browsers, you are more easily able to tell your clients to use any browser. While I doubt it works perfectly, it's a lot nicer than the way it use to be.

I agree that that is a most fine objective. I'd like to know how MS plans to accomplish this in the context of new/revised non-MS browser releases, how they plan to distribute such changes that may be needed as a result, and how I can manage them (especially when things go buggy, as is bound to happen from time-to-time).

cheers

>
>>While I can see how nice the concept described by the description (quoted above) is, it looks like it could come at significant cost in terms of future flexibility to choose a browser of preference.
>>
>>I think that knowing how this is implemented would be useful information.
>>
>>If you know, I'd appreciate enlightenment.
>>Thanks