Re: [CSSWG] Resolutions 2007-08-28

Philip TAYLOR wrote:
> 
> 
> 
> fantasai wrote:
> 
> [snip]
> 
>  >   Media Queries shall not include any normative requirements on
>  > re-evaluating
>  >     media queries in responses to changes in the environment, but shall
>  > include
>  >     a note explaining that a UA is expected to re-evaluate and re-layout
>  > the page
>  >     in response to viewport resizing.
> 
> Hmmm, I wonder if that is really optimal behaviour ?  At Royal
> Holloway, we have just backed out code that effectively did
> that, on the basis that a user re-sizing his window was
> presumably doing so in order to see less (or more) of
> the current document /as displayed/.  We then added a
> hook to trap a page refresh and then and only then
> re-consider how best the page might be presented at
> the new size.
> 
> Our application was far more trivial than a full
> re-layout (we were just computing the optimal base
> font size for a given measure), but I wonder if the
> thinking that led to our backing out code was also
> considered when the CSS group reached this decision ?

It's an interesting argument and it was not considered, at least not 
explicitly.

But the model I had in my head is that there are really two different 
cases in which a user enlarges a window:

One is when the design doesn't fit in his window. That is indeed a 
common occurrence at the moment, but my expectation is that a designer 
who includes a media query is less likely to create such a design.

The other case is when the design is good, but the user wants to see 
more of the current document at the same time. In that case, resizing 
the window *and* applying the layout for that new size will do exactly 
what he wants and do it better than resizing the window alone.

I also think that changing the base font size (your example) is 
something that designers should simply never do. The media queries don't 
measure the distance of the user from his screen and thus cannot say 
anything sensible about the optimal font size.



Bert
-- 
   Bert Bos                                ( W 3 C ) http://www.w3.org/
   http://www.w3.org/people/bos                               W3C/ERCIM
   bert@w3.org                             2004 Rt des Lucioles / BP 93
   +33 (0)4 92 38 76 92            06902 Sophia Antipolis Cedex, France

Received on Wednesday, 29 August 2007 08:59:06 UTC