Comment Some contraversial thoughts... (Score 1) 580
I have two views on this matter which might seem radical, extreme or downright stupid, but bear with me:
1. Getting rid of plugins would be a Good Thing
2. Forcing Microsoft to suspend shipments of Windows would be a Good Thing
Point 1: Getting rid of plugins would be a Good Thing
I have never seen a web site that used plugins that I have not thought would have been better without them.
Plugins do not increase usability or functionality. They reduce it. Take a look at a plugged-in, embedded media player. Can you resize it? Can you move it aside and continue browsing on another page? Can you access the menus? No. So what are the benefits? None that I can see.
The same applies to other embedded applications. I am not saying that Flash/Java/etc should all be scrapped - but where there is a need for them, they should be run as an external application, where then can be controlled and where they are incapable of crashing your browser.
Another good example is the Acrobat plugin. I can't count the number of times I have been reading a PDF, forgotten that it is embedded in my browser, and then closed the window, losing my browser history and the URL where I found the document.
One of the more common uses for Java in web pages is for "tickers". I have often thought that if the content of a ticker is worth reading, it should simply be written on the page, where I can read it at my own pace, rather than be forced to read it at the scroll speed determined by the applet author.
If web authors could not embed plugins in their pages, the result would be a web which is easier to search, faster to browse, and more likely to be usable by the disabled or those with simpler user agents such as lynx.
[Note that I do not support Eolas's methods (software patents) but I do support their goal of destroying plugins.]
Point 2: Forcing Microsoft to suspend shipments of Windows would be a Good Thing
I agree that this would hurt the global economy in the short term, but I do not believe it would hurt as much as many think.
Existing Windows systems will all continue to work. Companies will take the risk of installing unlicensed copies of Windows temporarily to get around short term issues.
It will actually force purchasers to consider their options and buy a system after conducting research into prices and functionality instead of just buying the same old Windows boxes. This can only be a good thing for competition (when Microsoft resume shipments, many people may have already seen the benefits of the alternatives).
Companies like Dell will probably go bankrupt. Yes, this will hurt some people, but will benefit the computer industry in the long term by teaching the valuable lesson that allowing your business to be entirely reliant on the output of a single monopolistic supplier is a Bad Thing.
Flame away....
1. Getting rid of plugins would be a Good Thing
2. Forcing Microsoft to suspend shipments of Windows would be a Good Thing
Point 1: Getting rid of plugins would be a Good Thing
I have never seen a web site that used plugins that I have not thought would have been better without them.
Plugins do not increase usability or functionality. They reduce it. Take a look at a plugged-in, embedded media player. Can you resize it? Can you move it aside and continue browsing on another page? Can you access the menus? No. So what are the benefits? None that I can see.
The same applies to other embedded applications. I am not saying that Flash/Java/etc should all be scrapped - but where there is a need for them, they should be run as an external application, where then can be controlled and where they are incapable of crashing your browser.
Another good example is the Acrobat plugin. I can't count the number of times I have been reading a PDF, forgotten that it is embedded in my browser, and then closed the window, losing my browser history and the URL where I found the document.
One of the more common uses for Java in web pages is for "tickers". I have often thought that if the content of a ticker is worth reading, it should simply be written on the page, where I can read it at my own pace, rather than be forced to read it at the scroll speed determined by the applet author.
If web authors could not embed plugins in their pages, the result would be a web which is easier to search, faster to browse, and more likely to be usable by the disabled or those with simpler user agents such as lynx.
[Note that I do not support Eolas's methods (software patents) but I do support their goal of destroying plugins.]
Point 2: Forcing Microsoft to suspend shipments of Windows would be a Good Thing
I agree that this would hurt the global economy in the short term, but I do not believe it would hurt as much as many think.
Existing Windows systems will all continue to work. Companies will take the risk of installing unlicensed copies of Windows temporarily to get around short term issues.
It will actually force purchasers to consider their options and buy a system after conducting research into prices and functionality instead of just buying the same old Windows boxes. This can only be a good thing for competition (when Microsoft resume shipments, many people may have already seen the benefits of the alternatives).
Companies like Dell will probably go bankrupt. Yes, this will hurt some people, but will benefit the computer industry in the long term by teaching the valuable lesson that allowing your business to be entirely reliant on the output of a single monopolistic supplier is a Bad Thing.
Flame away....
