[Web4lib] Web technologies and public access

[K.G. Schneider]

> Also, Jakob Nielsen has some comments to say about Flash that
> might be worth reviewing.  Specifically, the "Break Web
> Fundamentals" section at the following URL has the best comments
> about the use (or misuse) of Flash.
> 
 http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20001029.html

Other interesting arguments aside, Jakob Nielsen stopped being my gold
standard for usability some time ago. His website has improved a little
(someone apparently finally convinced him that letting text flow margin to
margin makes it excruciatingly difficult to read, as well as ugly) but it's
very hard to take anyone seriously whose website looks so 1995. He argues
for his "scaled-back design" but misses the point that a site can be simple
and spare and yet elegant. The emotional temperature of his site is
pre-Glasnost USSR, and its functionality is back there with my Commodore
Colt.

It's also possible to believe strongly in interoperability and yet have a
more conditional approach to "standards." In fact sometimes the latter get
in the way of the former-q.v. NCIP. 

K.G. Schneider
kgs at freerangelibrarian.com