Re: Buttons & CSS

Tim Streater wrote:
In article <1157641902.783414.44940@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
brian.b.mcguinness@xxxxxxxx wrote:

Michael Vilain wrote:
In article <ocfLg.13871$r61.5600@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
Not in the least. If you care enough to do multi-browser testing, you
should also consider that some people really _are_ paranoid enough to
use a browser with Javascript turned off.
Paranoia has nothing to do with it. If you browse with JavaScript off,
you avoid lots of annoying pop-up ads.

Sites without JavaScript are boring to be pretty boring, I suspect. And the site I created to front end our assets database was hard enough to do *with* JS. I see no reason to triple development time just to satisfy some fathead who has JS turned off.

If your content is interesting in itself, you don't need mindless tinsel to make it 'interesting. If your site is boring, dull and just there to try to get people to buy stuff off you that everyone else is selling too, and that isn't all that good anyway, then yes you do need some kind of eye candy to disguise that fact. Having javascript turned off is a good way to recognize such sites before you have even begun to download their worthless 'content'. True there are some sites using javascript which exist for more than just to make money for their owners, such sites would rarely be completely inaccessible and it is possible, using noscript plug-in, to see before downloading all the extra stuff, if it might be worth while.

Also you can choose to only allow scripts/flash etc to certain of the domains trying to serve them to you from that page. Often there are four or five, only one of which has what you want, usually the same server as gave you the page itself. This with one click on a popup from the bottom bar of the browser.

It seems I am mistaken in my belief that we should be able to choose what to download and what not to download. If I am looking for a car I might choose to allow plug-in use by a site that sells cars (hotcars.com) in that pop-up menu, and not to allow googlesyndication.com, which I know will serve up some links based on the text in the page I am viewing. The important thing is that /I/ am deciding what to download out of my restricted monthly quota, based on /my own/ proirities, not those of the sites' designers.

Many sites try to thwart people's efforts to control their own browsers. They use scripts to disable features in the browser, to alter the size of a window, and various other things. Rarely, when I have seen this done, is it actually done thoughtfully, usually it is laziness or lack of imagination on the part of the designer, who is still stuck in the printed page, fixed size mentality.

Obviously there are brilliant uses of javascript, where little else would achieve the objective. A good example of something very useful with javascript is multimap.com. see
http://multimap.com/map/photo.cgi?client=public&X=282500&Y=380000&width=700&height=400&gride=280000&gridn=380000&srec=0&coordsys=gb&db=&pc=&zm=0&out.x=7&out.y=11&scale=50000

It's good to be able to decide for yourself. Good website designers will take into account all potential users, including those with disabilities, with old computers that can't run the latest software, with little technical ability or knowledge, with devices with small screens, and many other permutations. A good designer will not prejudge visitors based on the size of their screen, or their collection of plug-ins. A good designer will understand that their site exists as a small, insignificant part of a vast internet, and that their own particular foibles do not count for anything.

The end user is the purpose, the reason for the existence of the internet, it is not there for your pages. Some seem to think that being a web designer makes them special. It's only a website, important only to you. No-one else will really miss it if you go, there are always others. You're just a salesman. Remember that and respect all prospective customers, regardless of whether you think they are fatheads. There are very few racist white shop owners who do not allow blacks to buy stuff off them. And the ones who do are stupid.

And there are some whose chosen way to make a living is to ruin everyone else's www with intrusive adverts. I don't want to see them. Blocking popups is not the only way these are prevented, it is necessary to block all plug-ins until you know what kind of site it is.

Having said all that, and having got used to blocking stuff, I now tend not to bother with a site when I find I need to turn on scripting just to follow links on the site or something like that. It's just a stupid way to write a website. So unless the content is really compelling, I move on. It's nothing personal, just practical.

Andy
.

Relevant Pages

  • >>>> JAVASCRIPT DOWNLOAD <<<<
    ... abort a progressive download with javascript, ... tutorial free download, block javascript download, core javascript ... javascript, download animated javascript solitaire, download file ... software, download javascript software for blackberry, download ...
    (de.comp.os.unix.shell)
  • Re: JavaScript is blocked
    ... Javascript is not included in XP or SP2. ... You have to install it. ... Download the Microsoft Java VM for Windows XP here ... Allow active content to run in files on My Computer - Windows XP Service ...
    (microsoft.public.windows.inetexplorer.ie6.browser)
  • Re: JavaScript is blocked
    ... Javascript is not included in XP or SP2. ... You have to install it. ... Download the Microsoft Java VM for Windows XP here ... You can get the Sun Java J2SE RunTimes or SDK here: ...
    (microsoft.public.windows.inetexplorer.ie6.browser)
  • Re: Association Of Depression And Gender With Mortality In Old Age
    ... Download Full Research For Free: ... browser with Javascript turned firmly off for the sake of security. ... · Depression is a biological disorder that is made worse by life stress. ...
    (uk.people.support.depression)
  • Re: resolve rotation transformation back to identity
    ... The download I mentioned previously contains the run-time dll. ... To use the run-time without the designer, ... a Picture, put Elements in it, create a Canvas, then put the Picture in the ... questions not explained in the reference manual included with the SDK. ...
    (microsoft.public.dotnet.framework.drawing)