Bye-bye 8-bits!

[Klaus Nordby]

I've used a site tracker from http://www.extreme-dm.com/tracking/?reg for a couple of weeks one of my sites. And it turns out that only about 5% of our visitors now have an 256 color graphics setup! The vast majority are either in the the 16-bit or 24-bit camp. So much for the need to do sites in the stupidly restricting "browser-safe" color range!


K

[Klaus Nordby]

I've used a site tracker from http://www.extreme-dm.com/tracking/?reg for a couple of weeks one of my sites. And it turns out that only about 5% of our visitors now have an 256 color graphics setup! The vast majority are either in the the 16-bit or 24-bit camp. So much for the need to do sites in the stupidly restricting "browser-safe" color range!


K

[Egg Bramhill]

Klaus
I've been using Extreme on quite a few sites for over a year and I can confirm that there is now only a low %age using 256 colour setups but I would advise that the figure is more like 10%, which is still quite high. In reality how anyone can still browse the web at this resolution is baffling, but 10% is still not to be sniffed at.

I suppose when visitors start surfing at this resolution they soon catch on that they will have to upgrade.

Extreme also give 15% using Netscape.

I think where possible you should still try to cater for these users.

At the same time we'd still be using "no frames" tags forever if we didn't move on.

Egg

[alkolka]

I agree with Klaus' conclusion--there's no need to code to web-safe 256 color pallets. Why? One of the systems I must use at work is an IBM 600X Thinkpad laptop driving a 21 inch monitor. The video controller and video memory are so lame that I can't set it up better than 8-bit color, 1280 X 1024, 60 Hz refresh. Yes, I get eye strain and headaches; and I'm promised an upgrade "real soon now." But, I seldom have a problem enjoying the beautiful art in the forum galleries. I doubt that the users still at 8-bit color are going to miss too much, and when we code our pages for 24-bit color we are pushing them toward the future.

[Erik Heyninck]

1/ I once read an article somewhere on a site about the fact that this 256 colour theory is far too optimistic: there are far less colours really cross browser.

2/ With the difference in gamma value between PC and Mac in mind: which one renders the brightness correct?

3/ How many surfers are pros with perfectly adjusted monitors that only surf under the ideal light conditions?

4/ How many human beings see AND interpret the "scientifically" identical colour in exactly the same way?