What is Backward (or downward) compatibility and how do I design for it?
Backward compatibility is when a new product takes the place of an older product, but is still compatible with the older product’s components. In this case, CSS takes the place of older HTML styles such as and , but is still compatible with those HTML styles. This can be useful in the problem with older browsers and their lack of CSS support. By using the older HTML styles, the older browser can still display the page without the stylesheet, but look similar using the older HTML elements. The HTML style elements can easily be combined with stylesheet specification methods. It is a good idea to define body, text, and link colors in HTML as well as in the style sheet.
