Re: www-talk-d Digest V96 #13

In a message dated 96-01-29 23:49:25 EST, you write:

>My recent thinking on this issue is that a form of conditional HTML could
>be implemented with <INSERT>.  Give some <PARAM>'s that describe the
>conditions under which the insert SRC should be requested, and let the
>browser decide whether it should get the insert or not. 
>
>...
>
>Disadvantages:
>
>* Requires multiple GETs (possibly a good number of them).

The gets kill that idea for me.  Personally, I think we should get on with
enhancing the HTML standards/defacto-standards.  Life is too short.  The
standards set by the best browser of the moment are quickly picked up by
anyone else that wishes to stay in the fray.  

I am happy to have some of my HTML code be ignored by the lesser browsers and
get on with the business of making the best presentation to the 90% of the
market.  I have little time enough to keep up with the content and links I am
trying to diseminate and manage.  Not to minimize the individual, but, how
much overhead are we willing to put up with (or more importantly force the
net community to put up with) for a very small minority of users that can
easily upgrade to a better browser if it bugs them too much?
Further, as somebody else already pointed out in this thread, we are
penalizing the better browsers (i.e. just about everybody) so that the weaker
browsers can be told something they already know, they are missing out on
some of the content.

If we consentrate our time and efforts into improving the standards, formal
or defacto, the user and we will be much better served.  And we will
hopefully reduce the amount of traffic over the internet that the user never
sees (or truely benifits from).  And since we pretty much know the browser
census numbers anyway...

Add user features not webmaster toys.

Tom Scott
On-Site Computer Services
OnSiteCPU@AoL.com

p.s.  However, the conditional insert/include idea could be useful for other
purposes such as user@host.country, day-of-week, or time sensitive content
including changing a graphic on the hour, minute or second.  This the user
can benifit from and would be a true boon to webmasters and users alike.
 THIS, to me, seems worth the overhead!

Received on Tuesday, 30 January 1996 15:05:10 UTC