Re: User customization using a style sheet switcher and server side scripts.

On  5 Nov, Jim Byrne wrote:

> I have written an article about why I think this might be a useful
> technique, with example scripts written in PHP: http://www.mcu.org.uk

  Nice site. May I, please, ask you to include the CITE attribute for
  quotations which are to be found online ? It's really difficult
  to peck around the text for the original otherwise. Thanks!




> I would interested to know if there are reasons why this approach might not
> be a good idea? 

  The reliance on cookies and the caching problem both seem to me good
  reasons. However, for me and people I have discussed this issue with,
  the main reason not to recommend this is quite different, and a matter
  of social engineering.

  Consider a user visiting such a site. Firstly, the UA must be capable
  of CSS, of cookies, and of adjusting the *visual* interface through
  CSS.

  Secondly, the adjustment controls will be present whether or not your
  UA has these capabilities or not.

  Thirdly, the adjustments you make are not persistent - as soon as you
  leave that particular site, they go away.

  Users I've spoken to would much prefer a short tutorial on how to
  change their own settings to a site-specific control system.


  But is this a drawback ? I'd say yes.

  Users don't know how to adjust their UA - so tell them how. That will
  atleast confuse them less.






> You can also read Gez Lemons' article and the get the scripts for his ASP
> version at: http://www.juicystudio.com/

  This site pushes several of my buttons. Firstly, it claims to serve
  text/html[*] - I'm looking at the content-type here - but the DOCTYPE
  claims XHTML 1.0 Strict and the *content* claims it is validated to
  XHTML 1.1.

  Secondly, it claims WCAG 1.0 'AAA' - which, if nothing else, the link
  texts should make clear it is not. When I look through the list of
  links in my UA, I can make neither head nor tail out of "1".

  I think we should all try to be examples. Please ?




 [*]
  We also need to improve our site in this, and many other, ways. That
  project is nearing completion.

-- 
 -    Tina Holmboe                    Greytower Technologies
   tina@greytower.net                http://www.greytower.net/
   [+46] 0708 557 905

Received on Wednesday, 5 November 2003 07:25:12 UTC