Browsers
This site will work properly with relatively recent versions of the major browsers (Mozilla 1.0 or higher, Opera 5.0 or higher, Netscape 6.0 or higher, and Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher). Other browsers that are standards compliant and support XHTML and CSS2 should also work.
Older browsers will not work as well, though most content should display in a readable form. If you are using an older browser, we recommend you upgrade to a newer version.
We realize this is probably inconvenient, so we would like to explain why upgrading your browser is a good idea.
A brief history of the W3C
When the World Wide Web was first developed, it was very much an experiment. Although people had ideas about how the web would be used, there was no clear consensus. The various browser developers created proprietary extensions that would not work in other browsers. This led to a sort of anarchy, where web pages that displayed properly using one browser could become completely unreadable using another browser.
There were some tremendous benefits to this sort of development, most notably in the explosion of new ideas and new ways to make the web operate. The big disadvantage, though, was in the complete lack of standardization. Web developers had to waste effort trying to make their sites work for all visitors, and web browsers had to suffer through sites that did not work properly for their particular hardware and software.
This led to the creation of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). Its mission is to "lead the World Wide Web to its full potential by developing common protocols that promote its evolution and ensure its interoperability."
Standards and accessibility
The W3C defines standards (which they call "recommendations") for nearly every web technology. These standards make the web better for everyone. When a standards-compliant browser views a standards-compliant website, there should not be any questions about which browser is being used. The site should look the same in any browser. Done properly, it will also be faster loading and quicker to display.
The current standards also aim to make the web more accessible for everyone. This includes non-visual browsers for people with sight problems, or smaller format browsers like PDAs and cell phones.
Older browsers do not meet current standards. And providing full support for older browsers means that websites cannot support newer browsers or accessibility guidelines properly.
