RE: popup chit chat

On Wed, 20 Mar 1996, Carl Beeth wrote:

> Some more thoughts on Heikki's Great Pop-Up proposal.
> 1) Would it be possible to include the HTML of the pop-up in the same file
> as the HTML page itself (maybe between </BODY> and </HTML>) as this would
> increase speed for slow connections.

This would seem to be to be the most tasteful way of doing it -- if
I've understood Heikki's idea, we're not talking about a large amount
of data here.  

>  2) should these type of links be marked differently from normal
> links and in that case should it be the browser or the designer that
> chooses the look.

Browser, IMO.  I've seen this kind of context-sensitive help used on
most every platform I've been on, and everyone has similar but
slightly different ways of displaying it. 

Since this information sounds like it's going to be largely optional,
why not let the person using the browser choose whether or not to
display the links differently or display the extra information at
all...?  A new configuration option or toolbar button which would
toggle displaying the popups.  The display issues themselves wouldn't
be that different from those in displaying a multiple-select field in
a form..

> 3) <Bert writes: do we want to specify how long the pop-up stays on screen?
> Until the mouse is released? But then you can't click in it any more.>

*If* someone were using a graphical browser, one way would simply be
to display the popup when the mouse moves over the link.  No clicking
required.  Wouldn't obscure the link itself.  On a text-only browser,
let it display when the link is selected.

There wouldn't be a need for a full new window if the information were
relatively short -- a couple of sentences at the outside.  If there's
more than that, it would seem like a new page might be more appropriate.

finally opening my mouth here after months of lurking,

Adam Hirsch

--
A good newspaper is never good enough, | http://www.utopia.com/talent/adam 
but a lousy newspaper is a joy         | adam@utopia.com
forever.        - Garrison Keillor     | adam hirsch

Received on Wednesday, 20 March 1996 14:25:00 UTC