Web Gurus -- Software Recommendations?

[Ben]

Here's my problem -- besides being an old fart and still making web pages by writing raw HTML in a text editor, I'm having problems making a page "universal" so it looks the same (or close to it) across browsers and platforms.

This particular page looks great in Linux Firefox, which is what I was checking it with when I wrote it. However formatting, text size, etc. look different and often goofy in PC Firefox and in IE. For myself I wouldn't care, but this is a reference page I originally made for myself for work stuff that other people at work want to use now, and I'm trying not to look like a rank amateur.

I could swear that years ago (when last I made myself a web page) I didn't have this problem across platforms. In this case it could be because I'm using columns and stuff, and back in the day we didn't use any fancy schmantzy formatting options like that. I tried using the Firefox editor, but still ran into the same problems.

Anyways, long story longer, any recommendations for HTML editors that will "fix it" so whatever I write looks pretty much the same across platforms? Free/Shareware would be great, as I'm never gonna get into heavy web development.

[Otherguy Overby]

If you want something to look the same, regardless the platform and browser...

Publish the file as a PDF.

[garrettwc]

BenW, are you setting the formatting in your code or letting the browser pick it's own defaults? If you don't specify fonts in formatting in your code, you are at the mercy of the coders who write the browser software and it will pick the browsers default settings.

[Ben]

I like PDFs for publishing, but I often find that when the file loads inside a browser, Acrobat causes a hang on load or when hitting the "back" button to exit the document. This is supposed to just be a "quick and dirty" page of data links, plus I'm the collateral duty IT guy in my office, so I don't want to generate any user complaints and actually create extra work for myself in that department.

I'll give garrett's suggestion a try and go back to doublecheck font type and sizes. If it doesn't work, they'll all just have to live with "Ben's crappy web page." Maybe I can get a career going as Walter Miller the second....

[Harold Tuttle]

wheres the code?

i have a young geek at work that can make it so

[Ben]

Thanks Harold -- I wanna try and figure it out myself first just because for whatever sado-masochistic reason, I learn stuff better by struggling and experimenting. If I get to a hair pulling out point though (which I can ill afford -- why won't global warming increase hair growth???) if that offer still holds, I'd like to take you and your young geek up on it.