The problem with your friend's piece is that he seems to want a
"lowest common denominator" mobile web.
That's bad: The crucial difference between the mobile web and the
desktop web is that the desktop is a mature technology with cpu power
to burn and screens and keyboards large enough for any user. Most
cpu's and most desktop browsers do most things we want them to. And
yet hugely important sites - like news.bbc.co.uk still use lots of
markup as they have standards about accessibility by older browsers
to stick to.
Handset's 'aint there yet. The features of a handset are the result
of a set of tradeoffs. So different handsets having different
capabilities - which different sites will target, is what we should
expect. These trade-offs are partially technological, partly the
problem of having a screen and keyboard small enough to fit in a pocket.
As I see it, the Japanese web is pragmatic, user centered, doesn't
move too quickly for fear of getting too far ahead of users, and
targets specific abilities of specific handsets. And works.
> One thing is certain though: if ever accomplished, the change to
> standards based websites will have a enormous impact on the
> Japanese web, allowing for device independent, universal access to
> online information.
Is this really certain? I don't see why - he does not "argue" for it,
merely state its.
If you want a lowest common denominator web, we have that already as
an option. It isn't hard to knock up a simple site that all JP phones
can access.
As for CSS? It's a bloody nightmare on the desktop web, requiring all
kinds of browser specific kluges and workarounds - hardly the brave
new world we were all promised. It is also HUGELY overkill if you
just want to markup a tiny page for a tiny screen. Does it have the
features the carriers currently offer - or will we have to lose
features to go to this brave new world?
I tend to assume that any content will be delivered out of a
database, be massaged by libraries to the format required by the
device demanding it, then chucked out the arse end of Apache. It is
all very well browsing the web through opera on a handset - but I
still think a site designed for a mobile and tailored for it is the
way to go. Lowest Common Denominator is fine as a fallback. I would
far rather a mobile web that is "past proofed" than one that is
"future proofed"
There is also the fact that time to market is often more important
than quality - and it is far easier to debug a "table" layout in
multiple browsers than a full blown CSS layout with positioning.
Nick
Received on Tue Dec 6 10:05:45 2005