Back button (I did it.)

Menolly menolly at mib.org
Wed Dec 11 17:33:20 CST 2002


~sdpm~
On Wed, 11 Dec 2002, Joe Crawford wrote:

> On 11 Dec 2002, Randal L. Schwartz wrote:
> 
> > 4: many corporate websites filter javascript at the DMZ, preventing
> >    such code from working
> 
> This does happen, and presumably, a responsible web author is aware or not
> aware of his or her audience, and knows if this is the case for /their/
> audience. Presuming that because /generally/ some people are unable to use
> JavaScript, that JavaScript should /never/ be used seems to me a logical
> leap that makes no sense.

For a more complete argument against the use of JavaScript, try
http://www.rahul.net/aahz/javascript.html
 
> > 5: I'm smart enough to notice I have a "back" button, thank you.
> 
> Of course you are. Ane yet, there are times when JavaScript based forward
> and back buttons can create a nice and simple interface. For example in a
> serial "wizard" type application JavaScript can be handy. It all depends
> on the UI framework, and how usable it is.

"history(-1)" is pretty much never the right answer.  It's the lazy
answer.  Are you positive you know where the user came from?  In a
highly controlled web-based application with tight access controls,
maybe you are.  So send them there directly.  If not, what's the point?
Someone on a board I frequent posted a link to an outfit in a catalog
the other day.  I cut'n'pasted the link to my browser.  It was just the
photo, with no details.  I was curious about it, so I clicked the back
link.  Which took me to the previous site I'd been looking at, not into
the catalog as I'd hoped.  Utterly useless.

-- 
   )\._.,--....,'``.         | menolly at mib.org
  /,   _.. \   _\  (`._ ,.   | http://www.livejournal.com/~nolly/ 
 `._.-(,_..'--(,_..'`-.;.' fL| Paranoid Cynical Optimist
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~sdpm~

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