Re: [css-device-adapt] @viewport and "desktop" browsers

On Thu, 07 Mar 2013 09:23:59 +0100, Rune Lillesveen <rune@opera.com> wrote:

> I think small-screen browsers without zoom capabilities still should  
> implement @viewport. This is in fact how Opera mobile browsers used to  
> be in the pre-zoom era. We had two modes, the small-screen rendering  
> which tried to fit the content within the width of the screen through  
> degenerating the CSS. For the other mode (desktop mode, I think we  
> called it) we did something resembling @viewport with min-width where  
> the user would have to scroll to see the whole page, not necessarily  
> being able to zoom.
>
> Even if we will not see such browsers again, I think it proves the point  
> that zooming capabilities or scrollbars vs panning is not what should  
> decide if @viewport should be implemented or not.
>
> I think it is sensible, if not necessary, to implement @viewport for all  
> form factors, so I don't think there is a need to restrict it.

I support this position.

Also, I have not used windows 8/RT, but if my understanding is correct,  
the way the window manager behaves means that windows are sometimes  
snapped to half of the screen, making them as narrow as a mobile browser  
would be even when you're on a regular laptop, and that it is the need to  
adapt content to this kind of narrow windowed desktop browser that drove  
Microsoft to implement basic support for @viewport.

To me, this is a perfectly legitimate use of @viewport, and the extra  
flexibility it has in addition to the meta viewport is there precisely to  
enable this kind of thing.

  - Florian

Received on Thursday, 7 March 2013 10:19:41 UTC