RE: Public feedback on HTML5 video

Edward O'Connor wrote:
>
> Essentially, we have three things we'd like authors to be able to
> convey to the browser:
>   1. Do whatever the browser thinks best.
>   2. Please autobuffer.
>   3. Please *don't* autobuffer.
>
> And there are a few things we'd like to be able to say about whatever
> design we settle on:
>
>   A. (1) above should be the default condition, so its syntax should be
>      what most authors will do anyway (not provide attributes at all).

<snipped>

> ... I think
> autobuffer="" should probably become an enumerated attribute[1] instead
> of a boolean attribute. Something like the following:
>
>   1. Do whatever the browser thinks best. [no autobuffer attribute]
>   2. Please autobuffer. [autobuffer="on"]
>   3. Please *don't* autobuffer. [autobuffer="off"]

As one who advocates for the minority more often than not, I am somewhat 
distressed when I read about the notion that the "author knows best" 
(earlier in this thread).  It has been my experience that this assertion is 
false more often than it is true.  I believe that Edward's suggestion here 
is the best position, as it rightly gives the final determination to the end 
user - who after all is the real client. User agents should be the final 
arbitrators, and further it would be ideal if the auto-buffer (and 
auto-start) options could be further modified by the end user as a UA 
setting, which over-rides any of the 3 options Edward suggests in favor of a 
declared preference by the end user.  (For example, a deaf-blind user has 
zero need for the bandwidth hogging of a video stream when all they want is 
the associated text transcript; thus they could set their rig to never 
auto-buffer, never auto-start).

I believe the old saw goes: "Author proposes, user disposes"

My $0.02 Canadian

JF

Received on Tuesday, 29 December 2009 01:32:29 UTC