Re: Frames - does anyone like them?

On 21 Aug 96 , www-html@w3.org wrote:

> > There are a few folks around who don't much like frames ;-), so a
> > site which wishes to be helpful to its users will give them the
> > option to choose the interface (frames or noframes) they prefer. 
> > This option I have provided on my site, and the logs are
> > revealing.
> 
> Me too. ;-) 
> 
> I only use frames on ONE thing I do. And it intelligently uses
> <NOFRAMES> to *detect* a browsers support and offers those with
> support the choice (which can be changed at any time).

My view on frames is that they're truly functional only rarely, and
the rest of the time are just an annoying distraction.

They work best on sites where users will normally need to jump back
and forth *a lot* between one main page and a bunch of subsidiary
ones.  It's like reading any reference book: sometimes you need to
flip back and forth a lot, and other times it's better just to read
through the text and graphics one linear chunk at a time.

I often visit a particular site where the purpose is to compare
various technical drawings, and there I find frames are very useful.
You see a text listing of the drawings in a narrow vertical frame to
the left, and the drawings themselves appear in two frames to the
right.  So it's functional:  you can tell where you are in the scheme
of things, and view two different images at once.

(I wish I could share the URL for this site with the group, but I 
can't; it's a private one dedicated to certain proprietary technical 
matters)  :)

But generally I don't find frames very helpful, mostly because they
tend to be implemented gratuitously.

---------------------------------------
Brent Eades, Box 1759, Almonte, Ontario
   http://www.worldlink.ca/almonte/brent
   beades@ottawa.net | almonte@worldlink.ca
Member: Web Consultants Association | Contributor: CGI-L FAQ

Received on Thursday, 22 August 1996 09:37:50 UTC