KO Tervuren
Derek & Kristina Pattison
Hodgenville, Kentucky
kotervuren@laughing-coyote.com
Problems?
If you have technical questions about the website, or updates or corrections to the pedigree database, please e-mail Derek at <rderekp@laughing-coyote.com>. Thanks for visiting!
These Pages Look Best In… Or, Derek's Theory on Web Design and Web Viewing
The task of a web designer is not an easy one. I mean, it's fairly easy to throw some text and graphics up on the Internet, but to make a site that's both useful and good-looking is a bit harder. There are a million different combinations of Operating Systems, Web Browsers, Monitor Resolution, etc., and each affects how the web page appears to the end user.
Luckily, this task isn't as hard as it once was. There are standards that, if followed by software designers, web designers and, to a lesser extent, Internet users, make the experience of viewing web pages a more pleasant one.
Operating Systems
Currently, I'm using Windows XP. I like it a lot. However, I've used every flavor of Windows since 95, and before that I was self-taught on a Macintosh. These pages should look good on any version of Windows, the MacOS, Unix, Linux, OS/2 or any other Operating System out there. As for WebTV/MSNTV… well, I admit that the pages don't look their best on WebTV, but hopefully in the near future that will be fixed.
Monitor Resolution
Right now, I have my monitor set at 1024 × 768 pixels. I'm lucky enough, though, to have a nice 19″ monitor, and I certainly understand that many people don't have monitors that large, or prefer a different resolution. My web pages should look just as good at 800 × 600 pixels. The menus may be a bit crowded at 640 × 480 pixels, but you should still be able to navigate the site.
Connection Speed
Sadly, I'm still stuck at a 56k analog dial-up connection. My site is full of photographs, so it may take some time to load. I do my best to optimize the size of the graphics, but in the end a nicer photo means a longer wait. All I ask is for your patience. If you have a high-speed connection, then don't worry; the pages should zoom in for you!
Fonts
One of the problems which has most frustrated web designers over the years, especially those moving from designing for print, has been the inability to reliably specify font types, because the end user has to have whatever font the designer specifies installed on their computer. A few years back, Microsoft developed a collection of TrueType fonts that are specially designed to be optimized for on-screen viewing, so I'm going to try to stick to using those. They are available for both Windows and Macintosh, and can be downloaded for free at <http://www.microsoft.com/typography/fontpack/default.htm>. If you use Internet Explorer and have ever downloaded ‘Core Fonts for the Web.’ you probably already have them installed. If you can't download these fonts, or are using a different Operating System, don't fret, my pages will default to a perfectly legible font installed on your system — it just won't look exactly like how I designed it, which is okay!
Web Browsers
Ah, Web Browsers, like religion and politics, it's a subject sure to start an argument and end lifelong friendships. Happily, my web pages should look just as good on any major browser, with one caveat: upgrade! The newer versions of the browsers are much more compatible with the web standards than older versions. This is especially true for Netscape. If you're still using Netscape version 4.x, I can't emphasize enough how much nicer the web looks on the newer versions!
I've tested my pages and they look good on the latest versions of the following browsers:
- Internet Explorer: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/downloads/critical/ie6sp1/default.asp (Windows) or http://www.microsoft.com/mac/downloads.aspx#IE (Macintosh)
- Netscape: http://wp.netscape.com/computing/download/index.html
- Mozilla: http://www.mozilla.org/releases/stable.html
- Opera: http://www.opera.com/download/
Accessibility
While I want my pages to look consistently nice across all platforms and Web Browsers, I also want them to be accessible by those with disabilities. That's why I'm working on making all my web pages compatible with the W3C's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.
Summary
Thanks for taking the time to view my web pages, I really appreciate it. If you have any questions, comments or concerns, please feel free to e-mail me at the address below. For more information on web standards, check out The Web Standards Project at <http://www.webstandards.org/>.
– R. Derek Pattison
<rderekp@laughing-coyote.com>
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