Opinion: HTML standards and the browser(s)
Technology is ever-changing. This is of course true of web technology and web designers and developers constantly balance potential capabilites against the realities of being able to deliver these capabilities. So....
Should websites cater for the newest html standards? Or should the level of browser support dictate this?
Websites should be built to the latest HTML standards. It infers the latest technology is being used and taken advantage of.
Web designers should always aim to incorporate new standards but also bear in mind the user experience for those whose browsers may not support them.
Both! Websites are built to the latest HTML standard. No browser supports ANY standard completely (and never will) so we must consider each element individually. Paul Boag says it best in "Where Are My Rounded Corners?" - current support for some parts of the standard are not essential for a website to work.
I personally believe that any web designer and developer should attempt to push the boundaries of what is possible in web design. So, naturally the newest standards should ne used. Any browser issues should then be addressed individually.
The “correct” answer is both, however practicality usually pushes one of these slightly to one side. There are benefits and drawbacks to both individually, so the correct balance has to be found. In the end, the target audience will determine which side you lean towards; however, it is better to lean towards standards, whilst making sure that older and less capable browsers can still access the content.