icon or shortcut icon?

[znebojsa]

Hi, just wondering which I should use?

<link rel="icon" type="image/x-icon" href="/images/favicon.ico" />
or
<link rel="shortcut icon" type="image/x-icon" href="/images/favicon.ico" />


I know that 'icon' is apparently more correct, but is 'shortcut icon' more compatible?

Also... I've read that you can have 32x32 favicons... but everywhere I look people have 16x16? Why is this?

Thanks

[alex.w747]

Use both:
http://developer.apple.com/internet/...q.html#anchor7

[alex.w747]

> Also... I've read that you can have 32x32 favicons... but everywhere I look people have 16x16? Why is this?

Because it will be displayed to 16x16 by browsers. For example, Mozilla Firefox displays 16x16 favicons in address bar, bookmarks and tabs.

[znebojsa]

ok thanks. Is there a list anywhere which shows which browsers are compatible with which one (icon or shortcut icon)? Just wondering...

[Varelse]

Also... I've read that you can have 32x32 favicons... but everywhere I look people have 16x16? Why is this?

A GOOD favicon should contain BOTH images. In standard Windows configuration, the 32px icons are used for example for url shortcut icons placed on the desktop. If there's no 32px one, the 16px one is scaled up and looks very bad.

Most of the 16px favicons you saw were either designed by designers not aware of the need for 32px image, or they were created by one of the numerous favicon generators which only produce 16x16 icon.

[logic_earth]

Don't forget about 48px! or all the way up to 256px for Vista.

[znebojsa]

A GOOD favicon should contain BOTH images

Oh ok. So how would you add both images as favicons?

[Varelse]

Don't forget about 48px! or all the way up to 256px for Vista.

The only problem is that the icon containing all these would reach 20kb easily

[Varelse]

Oh ok. So how would you add both images as favicons?

There are specialized icon editors like Microangelo.

[znebojsa]

What if you just made a 32x32px icon and it scales down to 16px when it needs to be 16px and stays at 32px when it needs to be 32px?

[Varelse]

16x16 is such a small size that automated scaling-down does not always work well and the quality of such an icon would be really bad. The 16px icons even if made from the scaled-down image, should be corrected by hand.

[znebojsa]

ok thanks.
So I'll probably try have three icon sizes: 16x16, 32x32, 48x48

One last thing though, are they all meant to be 16-bit or?

[Varelse]

They don't have to. If your favicon is very simple and contains no transparency channel, you can use 256 color ones.

[znebojsa]

TYVM.

The last thing I would like to know is which browsers support which deceleration (icon or shortcut icon). If a website lists this, or anyone knows off the top of their head, please share it

[Varelse]

I won't be able to help you with this.

Just one more thing to add to the favicon subject - there can be the animated ones as well...

[cgustaveson]

You really need all three sizes if you want to be proper but I don't worry about it because don't often make a shortcut. If I felt there was a need then I would make sure to do so.