future versions wish list

AddAmaya.txt                                             2000 July 25
Some enhancements that are desirable for a future release of Amaya are:

Accessibility
A1] A menu item for selecting underlined or (user selectible) colored
    links is needed for average users.  The stylesheet method works
    well and is to be preferred but this technique is beyond the
    skill level of the average net surfer.
A2] Moving over one of the hyperlink areas should indicate that 
    the zone is active! One can't assume that they will be of a
    different color than surrounding text or underlined. 
    One possible way of enabling this kind of feedback in a user 
    preferred manner is by having a Special -- General
    (or its own subitem say Accessibility) dialog box with checkboxes
    (to allow multiple choices) for:
    a] hover type display (with optional color choice)
    b] show selected address in status line
    c] change cursor to hand or different icon
    Of course no checked off boxes allow action to be as it is now.
    This allows the user flexibility in choosing the feedback method.
    Perhaps a checkbox could also be included for underlined
    hyperlinks even though it is now the custom to use the default
    stylesheet for this.
A3] This accessibility dialog could be extended to allow background
    color/image to be overriden by those with color impairments.
A4] The accesskey attribute needs to be enabled for pages such as
    w3.org that encorporate it.

Internationalization
I1] Offer parallel files in supported languages for all help files.
I2] Allow language dialog selection to also chose help file language.

Keyboard Shortcuts
K1] Either a menu function or an external utility should be provided
    to find the keystroke action number or logical name for
    nonstandard keyboards. 
K2] The complete keyboard naming convention should be documented
   as well as the priorities for conflict resolution.
K3] Keyboard associations are needed for the middle set
    of the keypad [i.e. arrows, home, page up, etc.]
    Appropriate settings should be set up and then documented 
    in the help pages.  Some settings may be:
    alt-page up/down - move to beginning/end of screen display
    arrow key    - move one character/line in correct direction
    ctrl-arrow   - move one word 
    alt-arrow    - move one screenful in appropriate direction
    home         - move to beginning of line
    end          - move to end of line
    alt-home     - move to beginning of file
    alt-end      - move to end of file

Geometry Manager
G1] Automatically save user positioning/sizing state on exit.
   A bonus would be a Reset Window state to the original menu item
   in the Special - Preferences menu.
G2] Documentation of location of geometry settings file would help
   in cases of user having to fix poorly positioned windows.

Browser Issues
B1] Complete implementation of the CSS1 style functions.
B2] Complete implementation of the HTML 4.0 specification.
    This includes floating image elements!
B3] Framesets are currently not supported although they are a part of
    HTML4.0 specification.  Since many web sites offer frames as
    appropriate solutions for menuing, Amaya should offer basic browser
    capabilities to view as many sites as possible.
B4] Redisplay time should be optimized or image height default increased
    to prevent strobing on directory pages with images. A set of images
    causes a series of redisplay of pages. An example of this is
    http://www.neta.com/~cherry/mathml/
B5] Page scrolling should be designed to retain one/two lines of
    information.  This allows continuity for viewer.
B6] Fonts should be anti-aliased.
B7] GIF transparency should be supported as sites often use it
    to provide margins and watermarks.  Is there some way of checking
    Amaya .gif rendering for this.
B8] Animated GIFs are not supported even though they are a common
    format on the Internet.  Although other formats may be technically
    superior, democracy should rule in favor of supporting this format.
B9] JavaScript should be supported due to the widespread use of it on
    the web. Without JavaScript, many sites cannot be browsed effectively.

User Interface [GUI]
U1] Tidy.exe should be callable on current file using an icon (similar
    to refresh). This would allow a page display problem to be quickly
    isolated to authoring syntax or Amaya rendering.  It would also let
    viewers get to information on busted pages easily.
U2] User menu settings should be retained and not lost on program end.
    An example is EDIT MODE. If toggled off, it should remain off until
    user requests that it be turned on.
U3] Retain a history of recent URLS in a scrollable URL address box.
U4] A treed bookmarks structure should be built into the toolbar or menu
    system.  One should be able to edit all properties of this bookmark.
    This will add greatly to the BROWSER side of Amaya.
U5] If a file is taking a long time to download or to render,
    there should be a flasher or gauge to reinforce the fact that
    activity is taking place and that nothing has 'hung-up' or crashed.

Documentation
D1] A menu item on the Help menu for 'Contents' or 'Index' should be
    provided.  This selection would point at manual.html which is a
    good table of contents for the delivered docs.
D2] A menu item on the Help menu for FAQ on w3.org should be provided.
    This selection would allow dynamic addition of instructions missed
    in delivered documentation.
D3] More work is needed in the delivered doc files to ease new users
    into Amaya.  Documentation is well detailed for the advanced users
    but is awkward for people who are new to Amaya.
D4] Documentation should include a page of features NOT included
    within Amaya that other browsers normally have. A brief mention
    of the implementation decision will help users understand why it
    isn't there. This could be either on the web site (on the FAQ) or
    as part of the delivered docs.


John Russell, VE3LL@RAC.CA
http://www.cgocable.net/~jrussel
Mystery readers may want to click on DOROTHYL

Received on Friday, 4 August 2000 12:19:25 UTC