[Sigia-l] DHTML Menus and HTML Widgets

[Ben Henick]

On Tue, 16 Jul 2002, Listera wrote:

> "robert.dornbush at ps.ge.com" wrote:
> 
> > ...be very wary of an HTML developer / web designer who does not know how to
> > write his/her own custom Java scripts.
> 
> I disagree. JavaScript is (essentially) programming, while HTML is markup. I

...And I disagree in turn.

> would much rather see programmers be in charge of programming (JS) and
> designers in charge of design. I'm not saying that one can't do the other,
> but that ought to be a happy/lucky coincidence, as opposed to the rule.

While I sympathize with the principle of what you've said, the fact of the 
matter remains that in regard to interactive UI, designers design and far 
too often yet don't have a very good understanding of the technologies 
that are being used to implement that design.

Suppose that I submit and earn approval of a design that requires a lot 
of gee-whiz dynamic HTML.

If I do not (for the purposes of this argument) have a keen understanding 
of JavaScript's limitations, I may have proposed something that is at best 
impractical, at worst impossible.

If the site is baselined for Netscape 4 without any latitude for 
degradability, I have just consigned myself to several days of hell no 
matter the circumstances.

In any case, if I'm designing widgets without a solid knowledge of what 
the underlying technology can (and can't) do, grief will result.

...As time goes on, one hopes that broad adoption of de facto and 
recognized standards for Document Object Model scripting API's will make 
this debate less relevant.  A monopoly does not a standard make, 
especially if you use a Macintosh.


-- 
Ben Henick
Web Author At-Large              Managing Editor
http://www.io.com/persist1/      http://www.digital-web.com/
persist1 at io.com                  bmh at digital-web.com
--
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