Browser Support
Update notation on 1/1/12
Depending on which report you read, Internet Explorer (IE) may no longer be the most utilized browser, and even if it is, Firefox and Google Chrome certainly have large chunks of users.
The SCPA weather page will function best when viewed with Internet Explorer because the list do not collapse in Firefox or Google Chrome. The reason is because the weather site was composed in the early 2000 era with Microsoft FrontPage. FrontPage makes it easy for "non programmers" to do more advance functions, like collapsible list, without having to write special code or manage server side scripting. Unfortunately, the methodologies utilized by FrontPage were written during a time of HTML Standards evolution, flux, and warfare, so some of the scripting is not supported by browsers other than IE. Microsoft does now offer several products that produce more "Standardized Code", and offer expanded functionality, but for simple web sites FrontPage is still hard to beat if you want to focus on content and don't need lots of bells and whistles. Microsoft stopped supporting FrontPage after their 2003 release, and the 2002 release is arguably easier to use, but needs an XP editing platform for stability.
Personally, I support multiple computers and have all three browsers installed on my own computers. I use IE 98% of the time, partially because I'm an old dog that tires of new tricks and also because IE has support for some functionality like Active X controls that other browsers don't. My kids are split between Firefox and Google Chrome, which may be a good thing because it is more clunky to run external software from those browsers.
There would be a significant benefit to producing a weather page optimized for smart phone screen size. I don't currently have the bandwidth for the project, but perhaps someone else can take on the task, or I might get to it after my kids are grown, but my eyesight might be to far gone by then to see a smart phone screen.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usage_share_of_web_browsers
http://gs.statcounter.com/
http://www.w3schools.com/browsers/browsers_stats.asp
Update notation on 4/2/10
It is noted that Firefox has gained ground. Different survey reporting
sites provide vastly different numbers. One says that Firefox as
about 45% of the market share and IE has about 35%, but another says that IE is
still 60% and Firefox is about 25%, and yet another site list IE at 80% and
Firefox at only 15%
Updated 8/2006
The weather menu works best with Internet Explorer. If your menu does not collapse, we recommend using Internet Explorer to view the weather page.
Prior testing indicated the menu would not collapse in Netscape, and it does not collapse in Mozilla Firefox 1.5. The weather page was initially composed at a time when IE commanded 80 to 90% of the browser market. At the time, Netscape was a distant 2nd. Netscape usage has declined, but other contenders have historically gained some ground and then faded. IE is still the most widely utilized browser by a large margin.
Other browsers like Mozilla Firefox may be arguably "better" than IE, but the weather page will be more functional if viewed with IE. I personally use both IE and Firefox. Firefox is faster for some activities, but lacks the necessary functionality to execute some of the task I need to perform. IE supports a broader range of functionality, but can sometimes execute slower.
I try to use tools that will display well in multiple browsers, but some of the productivity tools Microsoft offers are easy to use and implement. Perhaps some day I will learn how to setup and maintain a collapsible list that works is something other than IE. To date, no one has offered to address my ongoing request for instruction, and I don't currently have the time to research the solutions.
Browser usage stats can be found in numerous places including