On 1st November 2001, this puzzle site was upgraded to all web standards defined by the WorldWide Web Consortium, and championed by the Web Standards Organisation. These standards allow web developers to provide consistent content to all web browsers that adhere to these standards.This is indicated by the two icons at the very bottom of this page.

What is a web browser?

To view this site, you are using either Internet Explorer (IE), Netscape, Opera or another product which interprets the HTML code of this web-page into what you are seeing now. You can even view this code by choosing View from the drop-down menu and choosing Source (in IE). This is the code that I have written for this particular web page.

The Internet has evolved very quickly, and old versions of products such as IE and Netscape Navigator can no longer cope with the demands of the Web today. Some sites have taken the drastic step of blocking access to anyone without a modern browser, but I feel that a warning is sufficient. The warning on this site will state that you may not be able to view some of site's content with the browser you are using. You may have got to the page you are reading now through that warning.

What standards? Does my browser support them?

In the last year, the three major players in the browser market, Microsoft, Netscape and Opera have finally begun working towards implementing these standards in their next generation of browsers. Currently, all sites have to be coded many different ways to cope with all the different proprietary features of one browser or another. The same browser also behaves differently on each operating system, and each machine type (i.e Mac, PC etc.. ). This restricts the creative potential of the Web by making developers spend all their time trying to get a consistent look and feel on all browsers, rather than time on the creative content itself. There are so many browser/operating system/hardware combinations that it is impossible to test on all of them, and this leads to many bugs on sites around the Web. These are often the product of the browser makers themselves and not the developers, many of whom have tirelessly tried to implement and work around browser quirks. However, with the release of IE5, Netscape 6.1 and Opera 5, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Browser makers have finally seen sense, and to their credit have listened to the Web community at large and provided excellent support for the HTML 4 and CSS-1 standards written by the WorldWide Web Consortium. This means web developers can concentrate on the layout and presentation of their pages safe in the knowledge that they will display correctly in the browser. This enables them to concentrate on content and developing the Web to its full potential.

So what do I need to do?

Hopefully nothing! If you have bought a computer in the last two years, the chances are you are up to date. However, if your computer is over two years old then read on ...

From my site statistics, I know that most of you use Internet Explorer, so I urge you to check the version of your browser by simply choosing Help from the drop-down menu, and then choosing 'About Internet Explorer'. If you are using version 3 or below, you should upgrade immediately. Not only will this site not work but you have probably already noticed most other sites do not. This browser is over five and a half years old and cannot cope with the Internet as it is today.

If you are using version 4, you are probably OK, but since this browser was released in October 1997, I would still advise upgrading to the latest versions (see below). If you are using version 5 or 6, there is no problem.

Anyone using Netscape 4 is advised to upgrade to the latest Netscape offering. This browser does not support many standards, and is the nemesis of all web developers due to its quirky proprietary features. This site runs under Netscape 4 for now, but will not support it in the future. Even Netscape themselves have abandoned it for the their next generation browser. You should too.

Surely this isn't my problem?

I understand that the vast majority of home users know little about upgrading software on their machine and keeping it up to date. You buy the machine and would expect it to keep working. Surely it is not your responsibility to keep looking out for new browsers? TRUE! The problem is in the past when the Web was evolving and companies tried to get in on the act of owning the Web and getting everyone to do it their way. This has now been rectified with the standards in place, and getting a standards compliant browser will serve you for a long time. Most new technologies start off like this.. remember Beetamax videos? In the early 80's VCR's were either one or the other and they were not compatible. If you recorded something on a Beetamax VCR, it would not work on a VHS, and vice-versa. The difference here is that VHS was not agreed as a standard but just 'won out'. For browsers, a standard has been defined and the companies themselves must adhere to it, or face the prospect of pages not working on their browser, like Beetamax tapes not working on a VHS machine.

Browsers are also like cars; they evolve as needs require. They rust, they decay and eventually stop working. But unlike cars, you can get a brand new one entirely free of charge. Just think how much the Internet has grown since 1997, the days when IE4 and Netscape 4 were released. The Internet was in its infancy used mainly by universities and computer professionals. Many people had never heard of the Internet, and if they had thought it was for geeks only. Now that the Internet is part of our everyday lives, these 1997 browsers are simply not up to scratch, and were not designed to meet the needs and challenges of the Web as it is today. Technologies such as Internet Banking, e-commerce, movies and radio on the Web would not be possible without improving on technologies of five years ago. Could software today run on the machines of ten years ago? No. The same applies to the Web, and in fact, just about everything in our everyday lives so please help to further Web technology, and yourself, by getting your free new car, and not have the frustration of it keep braking down

I need to upgrade, where do I get the latest versions from?

To help you out, here is a list of the most popular browsers with links to all of them. Treat yourself!

• IE6 for Windows delivers fine support for HTML 4, CSS-1, and other important W3C standards. The browser is available free of charge.
• IE5 Macintosh Edition provides for Web standards and an elegant user experience. The browser is available free of charge.
• Netscape 6.2 complies with important Web standards. These technologies can help Web builders create powerful sites that work well. The browser is available free of charge.
• Opera 5 supports many key Web standards and a variety of computing platforms. Its lead designer was the chief author of the CSS-1 standard. The browser, which works well even on older PCs with limited power, is available free of charge. (A pay version is also available.) Opera supports Windows, Linux (beta, but works very well), Mac OS (beta, but works very well), and will soon support the OS/2, EPOC, and BeOS platforms.