target and frames nonsense (Was: Re: Comments on HLink)

"Steven Pemberton" <Steven.Pemberton@cwi.nl> writes:

> > target is effectively deprecated.
> 
> Actually not. Now with XFrames being a separate spec, and the
> strict/loose/frameset trichotomy disappearing, target will be in XHTML 2.

<grumble class="curmudgeon">
I've always seen target, frames, and friends (going back to blink) as
juvenile.
</grumble>

Aren't XHTML elements and their attributes (possibly apart from the
"class" attribute that characterizes different presentation modes
abstractly) supposed to reflect _content_ rather than _presentation_ ?

<grumble class="parenthetical">
And you guys want to trash <br> and <hr> which do, in fact, represent
loosely structured content.
</grumble>

IMHO if XHTML is to be taken seriously by content providers, then the
opening of new windows should happen in user agents only upon the
user's employment of an alternate form of link selection (such as
"shift-click").

New window surprises annoy users.  A content provider whose sponsor
thinks they are cool, has for a client a dotcom that is losing
customers.

At the cocktail parties I attend, when ordinary people find out that I
know something about HTML, I tend to be bombarded with questions about
how to turn off various forms of unwanted new windows.  It's something
like a tax that I have to pay these days.

                                    -- Bill

P.S.  Rolling out new and better names is a good thing.  Deprecating
names from old W3C recommendations absent a compelling reason is not
unless the goal is to ensure the longevity of HTML 4.  Gratuitous
backward compatibility problems always soil reputations.

Received on Friday, 27 September 2002 12:37:02 UTC