Subj : Re: How much should I charge for fixed-price software contract? To : comp.programming From : blmblm Date : Tue Aug 16 2005 09:34 am In article , Phlip wrote: >blmblm wrote: > >> In the very olden days (what, about ten years ago?), one was meant >> to use HTML to define the logical structure of one's document, with >> choice of background color and font size and other such things left >> to the user's browser -- i.e., under the user's control. >> >> How things have changed. >> >> (Based on the very small sample of Mr. Maas's Web pages I've looked >> at: At least it's nice clean simple HTML, which in these times is >> unusual but (IMO) a nice change.) > >Here's clean simple HTML: > >http://www.zeroplayer.com/ Why use a table when it seems (to me anyway) that a list would do? >No stylesheets, fonts, excess graphics, etc. But it sets the fucking >background color. > >On my freshly bought WinXP, that evil crappy whatever Microsoft browser, >Internet Explorer, has a Colors dialog with a background color picker of >grey. I am aware Windows uses themes, and the browser has an option to use >those themes, and it was on by default. I am within one click of getting >middle grey for the background color (which happens to match Window's >earlier themes for a client window's default color). > >The point: HTML must exert just enough control over your browser so some >yahoo out there with the "wrong" browser settings won't look at your resume >and see their own defaults, for the first time ever, and blame you. > >The opportunity to control your users' experience is priceless. Don't throw >it away just to reinforce self-pity. Talk about pushing buttons. "Control your users' experience"? Right. I rather liked the days when people writing Web pages didn't try so hard to do that, but allowed users to control their own experiences (with regard to font size, color, etc.). Maybe I'm just reacting badly to too many Web sites where the designers have done this (tried to control the users' experience) and made choices that IMO get in the way of presenting the content. I have no idea what you mean by reinforcing self-pity, unless it's maybe something along the lines of "times have changed, you're in a shrinking minority, get with the [ majority's ] program." -- | B. L. Massingill | ObDisclaimer: I don't speak for my employers; they return the favor. .