Webpages look different on different operating systems?

Question

So maybe this is a dumb question but do web pages look different based on the operating system you are running? I am developing a page on windows vista but when I view it from a windows XP machine it looks different, like the buttons, check boxes etc. When I view my page through VMware it looks almost primitive. I am using the same browser in all three and everything is exactly the same. Any idea how to get them to look consistent across the board?

Answer 1

If you use 'standard' widgets like buttons and checkboxes, etc. you will get that OS's implementation of those widgets. If you want consistency, you have to style it yourself - use images, fonts, styling, etc.

This a huge problem for an intranet app we have between PC's and mac's.

Answer 2

This is a longshot but in VMWare, are the video settings on 32 bit or 16 bit? What is the OS in VMWare? Are the browser 'versions' the same? Can you provide a screenshot?

Answer 3

The default appearance of form elements such as buttons and check boxes is dictated by the OS. You can style them to a certain extent using CSS, but achieving 100% consistency is usually a nightmare.