Re: LINK Element Confusion

In article <016901bdc800$9c1ddd40$04aedccf@ix.netcom.com>, Frank
Boumphrey <bckman@ix.netcom.com> writes of the LINK element:
>The problem is that it is not used, so it is ignored by application
>developers.

hmmm... to which set of "application developers" do you refer? User
Agent (Web browser) developers, or web site developers? A web site can
be considered an application...

>The main use of LINKS as I see it is for "bots" that stumble across your
>page can orientate themselves if this is one in a long series of documents.

Another would be for creation of an in-site menu system in a browser
(which has to be preferable to relying upon client-side scripting, Java
applets and so on).

>We have a chicken and egg situation. Bots will not be programmed to look for
>link information if most pages don't use it, and most Authors will not put
>in a descriptive LINK element if they can't see the use for one.

The latter is more relevant: it looks as though the only way such
elements as LINK will ever be implemented in the "Cutting Edge
Browsers", thus encouraging their widespread use, is if someone can come
up with a use which the developers will think is k3wl enough to
implement.

Personally I think that the menu idea is good enough to warrant
implementation: but judging by the lack of movement on this (AFAIK) by
the mainstream browser developers, they disagree :(

Best Wishes
-- 
Colin Reynolds, The Net Effect (World Wide) Ltd
http://www.the-net-effect.com/
Tel: +44 (0)1246 450 901
Fax: +44 (0)1246 450 902

Received on Saturday, 15 August 1998 05:00:05 UTC