[whatwg] Proposal for separating script downloads and execution

>  (so in IE preload would default to true while in FF it would default to 
> false).

Let's be clear. In Nicholas' proposal, while the `preload` property may 
default to true or false, the property (I think confusingly misnamed) 
controls  a *behavior*, which is NOT binary true/false. The more useful way 
to think about this is about the default behavior in each browser, not the 
default property value.

You're suggesting that in IE, preload behavior would default to being 
forced, and in FF it would default to being optional (aka, not-forced). 
Regardless of the property's default value, it's confusing that if I set the 
`preload` property to false, I'm not turning off preloading, I'm just 
turning off the *forcing* of preloading.

Which presents the question... what should setting `preload=false` in IE do? 
Should it tell IE to relax its otherwise default-behavior of preloading (and 
perhaps not do it after all)? Or should IE just ignore setting 
`preload=false`?

If at least one browser gets to ignore setting it to false, then shouldn't 
all of them get that option? And if all of them get to ignore it, then why 
even have it be controllable?

This whole line of reasoning seems to move us further from full-compat cross 
browser. I don't like the direction that we're headed. We should be favoring 
convergence over divergence. We should only accept divergence if there's no 
other option. And I think there is another option.


--Kyle

Received on Thursday, 17 February 2011 08:32:11 UTC