Re: "Chrome"

A couple of definitions I found ..:

"The interface elements of a browser, or any other program, that  
create the frame around the window that displays pages."
   (cite: http://www.chriscassell.net/classes/2001/winter/gdt150/ 
handouts/vocabulary.html)

"The visible graphical interface features of an application are  
sometimes referred to as "chrome". They include graphical elements  
(widgets) that may be used to interact with the program. Common  
widgets are: windows, buttons, menus, and scroll bars. Larger  
widgets, such as windows, usually provide a frame or container for  
the main presentation content such as a web page, email message or  
drawing. Smaller ones usually act as a user-input tool."
   (cite: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_interface_chrome#GUI_design)

I think the salient detail is that chrome is what allows the user to  
interact with the browser alone from interacting with the web  
content. Bob's point about the display of chrome being restricted to  
the browser is also good to keep in mind, and relevant for our purposes.

cheers,
mike

On 12-Feb-07, at 9:44 AM, Bob Pinheiro wrote:

> I thought the key distinction with regard to "chrome" is that there  
> are certain areas of the browser window that are solely under the  
> control of the browser, and not the website being displayed.  So  
> anything displayed in the "chrome" can be assumed to be coming from  
> the browser itself, and not the website.  However, if some browsers  
> have areas where both the browser and the website can communicate  
> information, that seems to muddy the issue.  Maybe such areas  
> should have a different name, reserving "chrome" for those areas  
> where only the browser can communicate to the user.
>
> At 08:16 AM 2/12/2007, Mary Ellen Zurko wrote:
>
>> During our f2f, the discussion about "chrome - what is it" came up  
>> again. The discussion was part of going over "Poorly defined role  
>> for chrome". It was a divergence at the time, so we decided to  
>> take the discussion to the list. See:
>> http://www.w3.org/2007/01/30-wsc-minutes.html
>> "what is chrome? diaglog boxes should be included"
>>
>> We'll need the definition of Chrome for the Glossary that Tim is  
>> pulling together as well.
>>
>> What I mean to mean by Chrome are the parts of the window that  
>> include information that the User agent/Browser is trying to  
>> communicate to the user, vs the parts where the browser is  
>> (expected to) faithfully represent what the web site/page is  
>> trying to communicate to the user. Some areas in some browsers  
>> currently contain both (for example, the title area including both  
>> the HTML title and browser identity information).
>>
>> Anyone else have a better definition?
>>
>> I also remember people getting fixated on the word. If the word  
>> itself is getting in the way of a concept we consider important,  
>> then we can start using some other word which we can all agree on.  
>> So this might instead be an exercise where we agree on the concept  
>> first, then agree on the word we'll use.
>>
>>
>> [ACTION-132 - Start discussion on mailing list to draw chrome  
>> items out and get analysis completed [on Mary Ellen Zurko - due  
>> 2007-02-13].]
>>
>>           Mez
>>
>> Mary Ellen Zurko, STSM, IBM Lotus CTO Office       (t/l 333-6389)
>> Lotus/WPLC Security Strategy and Patent Innovation Architect
> ---------------------------------------
> Bob Pinheiro
> FSTC Project Management
> Bob.Pinheiro@FSTC.org
> 1 908-654-1939

Received on Monday, 12 February 2007 15:13:01 UTC