On Sun, 29 Apr 2001, Phil Driscoll wrote:
Sorry Robert - I still can't agree with you on the client front. The fact is that everything can be done in plain old html - and *ALL* functionality should be available to an agreed baseline browser (something pretty feeble). Many things can be done more 'slickly' with drag and drop, but surely this should be an enhancement in the browser based on JavaScript long before we need to start implementing clients on all and sundry platforms. I would personally then go to Java before leaving the browser domain, although I can't envisage anything in this project that would require going so far.
I'm in agreement on most of this. Our own proposed solution involves creating a system that will work even with Javascript, Java, CSS etc. all disabled. Javascript will be used to add some ease-of-use enhancements, but there won't be anything that is impossible (or even difficult) to do with a "plain old HTML" browser. One of our design requirements is that it must work on all HTML browsers, including devices such as set-top boxes and non-visual browsers for the blind. Michael