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Obfuscated HTML Contest?

Posted by Cliff on from the they-do-it-for-other-languages dept.

ptaff asks: "We all know the nightmare of typical HTML developer: you get different results on different browsers/platforms (and we're talking HTML only, no CSS/scripts). To make matters worse, MSIE has this ability to render completely invalid HTML code (missing tags, invalid nesting, you get the point). Mozilla and its many cousins are trying hard to keep up with the inconsistencies of today's 'web-optimized-for-MSIE', but where is the limit? As an exercise, can you build the most malformed HTML document that can be rendered in MSIE but will choke on others browsers?"

8 of 81 comments (clear)

  1. You can use this to find contest entries by cyberkreiger · · Score: 2, Funny

    Uroulette.

    --
    Stumbling in the dark
    I hear slavering of jaws
    Eaten by a grue.
  2. Wanna see something really hairy? by 3-State+Bit · · Score: 3, Funny

    View source. Go ahead. Right now.
    I dare you to glance through it.
    You'll not sleep tonight.

  3. Re:You are in a maze of specialized tags, by Koos+Baster · · Score: 3, Funny

    Great idea! Or invalid, but different.

    I mean, the winner of the original contest's question is already decided anyway: I'm sure nobody's as good as Microsoft in writing obfuscated code that runs only on their own platforms!

  4. Just export a Word doc to HTML by redcliffe · · Score: 5, Funny

    That's totally obfuscated......

  5. The code used to get the java plugin? by Bazzargh · · Score: 4, Funny
    I've always though this was fantastically obscure, and uses a hellish mix of applet, object, and embed tags to make things work. Remember what appears below is recommended practice!

    Old Style:

    <APPLET code=XYZApp.class codebase=html/ align=baseline width=200 height=200> <PARAM NAME=model VALUE=models/HyaluronicAcid.xyz> No Java 2 SDK, Standard Edition v 1.3 support for APPLET!! </APPLET>

    New Style:

    <EMBED type=application/x-java-applet;version=1.3 width=200 height=200 align=baseline code=XYZApp.class codebase=html/ model=models/HyaluronicAcid.xyz pluginspage=http://java.sun.com/products/plugin/1. 3/plugin-install.html> <NOEMBED><XMP> <APPLET code=XYZApp.class codebase=html/ align=baseline width=200 height=200></XMP> <PARAM NAME=java_code VALUE=XYZApp.class> <PARAM NAME=java_codebase VALUE=html/> <PARAM NAME=java_type VALUE=application/x-java-applet;version=1.3> <PARAM NAME=model VALUE=models/HyaluronicAcid.xyz> <PARAM NAME=scriptable VALUE=true> No Java 2 SDK, Standard Edition v 1.3 support for APPLET!! </APPLET></NOEMBED></EMBED> </OBJECT>
  6. LOL... "HTML DEVELOPER" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny
  7. Just use Microsoft's HTML obfuscator ... by jolshefsky · · Score: 5, Funny
    Step 1: type "Hello world." in a Microsoft Word document.

    Step 2: save as a web page.

    The result:

    <html xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word"
    xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">

    <head>
    <meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=windows-1252">
    <meta name=ProgId content=Word.Document>
    <meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 9">
    <meta name=Originator content="Microsoft Word 9">
    <link rel=File-List href="./Hello%20world_files/filelist.xml">
    <title>Hello world</title>
    <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
    <o:DocumentProperties>
    <o:Author>Administrator</o:Author>
    <o:LastAuthor>Administrator</o:LastAuthor&gt ;
    <o:Revision>1</o:Revision>
    <o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime>
    <o:Created>2002-12-12T13:01:00Z</o:Created&g t;
    <o:LastSaved>2002-12-12T13:01:00Z</o:LastSaved>
    <o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
    <o:Company>Yoyodyne Propulsion Systems, Inc.</o:Company>
    <o:Lines>1</o:Lines>
    <o:Paragraphs>1</o:Paragraphs>
    <o:Version>9.4402</o:Version>
    </o:DocumentProperties>
    </xml><![endif]-->
    <style>
    <!--
    /* Style Definitions */
    p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
    {mso-style-parent:"";
    margin:0in;
    margin-bottom:.0001pt;
    mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
    font-size:12.0pt;
    font-family:"Times New Roman";
    mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";}
    @page Section1
    {size:8.5in 11.0in;
    margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
    mso-header-margin:.5in;
    mso-footer-margin:.5in;
    mso-paper-source:0;}
    div.Section1
    {page:Section1;}
    -->
    </style>
    </head>

    <body lang=EN-US style='tab-interval:.5in'>

    <div class=Section1>

    <p class=MsoNormal>Hello world.</p>

    </div>

    </body>

    </html>
    Of course, it breaks the rules because it uses style sheets, but who's counting...
    --
    --- Jason Olshefsky

    Karma: Poser (mostly affected by adding this line long after everyone else did)

  8. How about this one... by Clover_Kicker · · Score: 5, Funny

    Here is a classic.

    It just looks dumb in Mozilla, but you can use IE to truly experience the horror.

    I believe this was originally designed as an object lesson that HTML email and usenet posts are a bad idea.

    There is no author identified, but I'd love to know who came up with this one.