Re: Comments to UA Guidelines

So I have interspersed more comments yet.

On Wed, 11 Nov 1998, Marja-Riitta Koivunen wrote:

> Some more comments!
> At 11:00 PM 11/11/98 +1100, you wrote:
> >Comment interpersed - look for CMcCN: and MRK:
> >
> >On Wed, 11 Nov 1998, Marja-Riitta Koivunen wrote:
> >> page 6
> >> 
> >> ... user agents should avoid displacing the viewport away from the user's
> >> point of regard as this can disorient users.
> >> 
> >> !!Don't understand. Isn't the viewport or several viewports always there?
> >CMcCN:
> >The point is that if the viewport is going to be suddebly moved (for 
> >example by following a link) the user should be notified. I think that 
> >the treatment of this is not quite sufficient, since moving the viewport 
> >by following a link is a natural consequence, and should be expected. 
> >Moving it becuase of a pop-up window, auto-refresh which redirects after 
> >some arbitrary time, and such-like are problems.
> >
> MRK:
> For me it is still difficult to understand the wording. Does this mean that
> we should avoid displacing the content of a viewport or automatically
> generating multiple viewports without a warning when it is not initiated by
> the user (normally with activities in the users' point of regard or user
> defined settings in the user agent)?
CMcCN:
Yes.
> 
> >MRK: also said
> >> 
> >> For paper it is difficult to indentify the point of regard more precisely
> >> than the entire page. ...
> >> 
> >> !!What about the insertion point? I thought that was point of regard also?
> >CMcCN:
> >The Insertion point may or may not be in the point of regard. Imagine 
> >using MSWord - the insertion point can be placed somehwere, and then tyhe 
> >user can scroll through teh document, so that the insertyion pointis not 
> >in the current point of regard (where that is defined as the visible part 
> >of the document).
> MRK:
> I thought the point of regard is still valid even though it might be out of
> sight. For instance if I select a sentence and scroll it away from sight I'm
> able to replace it with something else. However, in that case I really would
> like to return to the place where I can see the point of regard (and this is
> actually how MS Word does it).
> 
> I guess the paper really means a piece of paper, not an electronic document
> paper as I first thought. But is that important as we deal with electronic
> documents?
> 
CMcCN:
The point of regard is the term which covers what the user is looking at 
right this minute. For a graphic browser this is what is in the window at 
the moment. This differs from the Insertion point, selection and user 
focus, which should all be in the same place when they all exist. (Except 
during drag-and-drop editing, where the insertion point is moved first, 
and the others follow.) The Insertion point/focus/selection can all be 
left at a point which is moved out of the point of regard in a browser 
where point of regard is moved by some means such as a scrollbar.

In a browser such as W3+Emacspeak, point of regard follows the cursor 
(which is the insertion point).

Charles McCathieNevile

Received on Wednesday, 11 November 1998 12:20:04 UTC