[whatwg] Menus, fallback, and backwards compatibility: ideas wanted

[Ian Hickson]

On Mon, 9 Jan 2006, Sander Tekelenburg wrote:
> 
> Authors can only suggest presentation, in the end the *user* decides on 
> it. That's the essence of the Web. Thus we should not be thinking merely 
> about what authors want, but at least as much, and probably more, about 
> what users want.

As a user on a dual monitor 1600x1200 system, I certainly don't have any 
issues with space for navigation...


> If a user-agent supports display:meta, the user can decide to apply that 
> to NAV whether the author likes it or not.
> 
> > Nor am I convinced that if it was integrated into the UA's chrome in a 
> > usable fashion, that it would take less room than it would if styled 
> > by the author of the page.
> 
> It wouldn't need to take up *any* room.

Um. I'd rather like to see the navigation somewhere! Could you expand on 
what you're proposing? I don't think I really understand it.

At the moment, sites can (and do!) provide a view of their site, 
customised to their site, on pages as appropriate for that page and that 
site. For example:

   http://www.google.com/support

...has links to other major Google pages in a sidebar at the top left, 
links to related pages in the mid-left sidebar area, links to related 
features at the bottom of the left sidebar, links to major subsections in 
the middle of the page, a search form at the top right, links to popular 
subpages in the sidebar to the right, alternative suggestions below that, 
links to other related pages below _that_, and at the bottom has links to 
links only loosely related to the main topic.

How would that page look if authored with your proposal?

Or take this page:

   http://buzz.yahoo.com/buzz_log/entry/2006/01/07/2100/?fr=fp-buzz-img

It has links at the top left and right for related jump pages, it has a 
search box in the upper middle area, links to back/forward at the bottom 
of the main <article> section, links to a bunch of sections on the left, 
in various categories, links to a bazillion related pages in the main 
body, links to various legal things at the bottom, etc.

How would that page look if authored with your proposal?

-- 
Ian Hickson               U+1047E                )\._.,--....,'``.    fL
http://ln.hixie.ch/       U+263A                /,   _.. \   _\  ;`._ ,.
Things that are impossible just take longer.   `._.-(,_..'--(,_..'`-.;.'