|
|
"82.1%
of all Web users employ Internet Explorer..." |
|
TOP
10
BROWSER
STATISTICS
of
Web Users
---------------
|
| Microsoft
IE 5.5 |
30.9% |
| Microsoft
IE 5.0 |
29.2% |
| Microsoft
IE 5.01 |
14.0% |
| Microsoft
IE 4.01 |
6.4% |
| Netscape
4.7 |
4.5% |
| Microsoft
IE 5.0 AOL |
4.1% |
| Netscape
4.75 |
1.6% |
| Netscape
4.73 |
1.4% |
| Netscape
4.5 |
1.2% |
| Netscape
3.01 |
1.1% |
| All
Other Microsoft |
1.1% |
| All
Other Netscape |
3.5% |
| All
Other Browsers |
1.6% |
Source:
WebSnapshot.com 2001
|
MODEM
SPEEDS
of
Web Users
---------------
|
| 56.6
K |
59.4% |
| 28.8-33.6
K |
23.6% |
| 128+
K |
12.0% |
| 14.4
K |
5.0% |
Source:
Nielsen NetRatings February, 2001
|
Functionality
To
a great extent, much of what makes a Web site truly excellent is purely
subjective. On the objective side, critics from a broad range of
experience argue the standards of technology…oddly enough in an
open-architecture environment! But few sites are capable of adhering to
increasingly restrictive standards. In a scan of the Top 10 most
trafficked sites on the Web (based on PC Data Reports), not one passes
the validation test of current WC3 HTML standards (4.01 Transitional.)
Yet these sites do not seem technically handicapped in any respect.
Plus, a requirement of strict adherence to the standards would inherently
discriminate against
many popular Web authoring tools like FrontPage that make site creation
available to the masses, and high-end software like ExpressRoom.
For
the purpose of these awards, the technical evaluation is keyed to
maximum access, efficiency and speed and not the strict adherence to WC3
standards. As of this writing, based on statistics from WebSnapshot.com,
the equation is simple: 82.1% of all Web users employ Microsoft Internet
Explorer while 13.3% utilize Netscape. In fact, only 11.3% use Netscape
4.5+. All other browsers
(including Opera) occupy a fractional share. While browser compatibility
is indeed a quantitative issue for the top two, our subjective
evaluation is heavily weighted toward Internet Explorer. In the final
analysis, the question becomes “does the site function closely on both
browsers as the author intended?”
Factors
such as efficient coding of html, prudent use of scripting and new
technology, page layout and graphics optimization all contribute to the
Web experience. While the adoption of broadband (high-speed access) has
been slow to most parts of the World, users have improved their
connection to the Internet dramatically over the past two years. As
such, sites will be evaluated with a high-speed connection (1Mps+) and a
56k modem.
Technical
Scoring:
|
Technical
0-5
points are available for each |
|
|
Load
time (56k and 1Mps – 1 minute maximum measured at peak Web
usage period: 7:00 pm – 1:00 am EST) Non-viewable downloads
(mp3, executables, etc.) not penalized. |
|
|
HTML
(code efficiency including optimization, image syntax, table
architecture) |
|
|
Meta
Tags (description, keywords, PICS – as appropriate) |
|
|
Interactivity
(internal and external hyperlinks, forms and webmaster
accessibility) |
|
|
Browser
Compatibility (Internet Explorer 4+, Netscape Navigator 4+) |
|
|
Scripting
& Applets (error-free functionality of Java, JavaScript,
VBScript, DHTML) |
|
|
Overall
page size (under 100k including images, text and code) |
|
|
Navigation
(functionality and ease of use, consistency, text-only
alternative) |
|
Penalties
Three
points are deducted for each |
|
|
Non-standard
plug-in requirements (cursor effects, players, etc.) |
|
|
No
music/sound control (unable to turn off) |
|
|
External
links requiring back button return to site |
|
|
Right-click
disabled |
|
