Re: "Chrome"

On 20-Feb-07, at 4:45 PM, Brad Porter wrote:

> window chrome -- visual elements used by Desktop browsers or the OS  
> window manager to surround the web page
>
> user-agent user interface elements -- any user interface  
> presentation controlled explicitly by the browser and not under  
> direct web page control
>
> markup user interface elements --  the user interface elements  
> specified by the web page. Based on web page content, displayed in  
> some fashion to the user, through the web user agent.
> In Yngve's example, widgets do not have "window chrome" as the  
> browser and the OS do not surround the web page content with any  
> visual elements.
>
> --Brad

So what we're doing here is specifying definitions beyond the usual  
definition of "chrome", right? I still think it's dangerous to  
separate "user-agent user interface elements" from "window chrome".  
Those are, IMO, one and the same. Here's a suggested revision:

Chrome = user interface elements for controlling applications

Client Application Chrome (was: window chrome) = user interface  
elements controlled by the client-side browser application.

Web Page/Application Chrome (was: markup user interface elements) =  
user interface elements controlled by the web page or application.

The issue we want to raise is that browsers sometimes render elements  
of Client Application Chrome with content provided by the webpage. If  
we must come up with a term for that, I'd suggest "web content  
presented as client application chrome" or something that's clear and  
descriptive. We should be describing who controls of the chrome. The  
problem that exists is that the source of the chrome isn't clearly  
expressed to users at the moment, since the Client Application Chrome  
sometimes draws content from the web page.

cheers,
mike

>
> Yngve N. Pettersen (Developer Opera Software ASA) wrote:
>> On Tue, 20 Feb 2007 21:46:28 +0100, Mary Ellen Zurko  
>> <Mary_Ellen_Zurko@notesdev.ibm.com> wrote:
>>
>>> "Chrome"  : the user interface elements provided by the web user  
>>> agent.
>>> Equivalent to "semantic chrome". Chrome can come from whatever  
>>> software
>>> gives the user feedback on their web experience; browser, rich  
>>> client, OS,
>>> plugins, etc. Dialogs would go here, as an example.
>>> "Content" : data elements provided by the web page.
>>>
>>> Parts of chrome are populated with content, but not all of the  
>>> chrome is
>>> populated with content.
>>
>> There may be one exception: Widgets. AFAIK Wigdets, at least as  
>> implemented in Opera does not provide any Opera generated  
>> "chrome", the widget itself provide all the "chrome".
>>
>>
>> --Sincerely,
>> Yngve N. Pettersen
>>
>> ********************************************************************
>> Senior Developer                     Email: yngve@opera.com
>> Opera Software ASA                   http://www.opera.com/
>> Phone:  +47 24 16 42 60              Fax:    +47 24 16 40 01
>> ********************************************************************
>>

Received on Tuesday, 20 February 2007 22:57:42 UTC