Posted by Toby Inkster on 01/22/06 15:56

wikigrrl@gmail.com wrote:

> Automatic web audio is the sonic equivalent of popups.

I would say that pop-ups are nothing compared to background music when it
comes to annoyances.

Popups: a small HTML file, usually a few kilobytes in size, is loaded onto
your computer, displaying in a new window. If you're not lucky enough to
be using a browser with a built-in pop-up blocker (which most do), then
you'll see s small window on your screen, which will take a second to
close. From a web designer's perspective, pop-ups are a stupid thing to
inflict upon your user, because any content in them will be almost
universally ignored -- often blocked from opening to begin with. From a
user's perspective, they're a slight irritation.

Background music: a large audio file, usually at least a few hundred
kilobytes in size, is loaded onto your computer, usually not in a new
window -- not in any window at all -- which means that it has no "x"
button to close it. Most browsers do not have an option to disable
background sounds. (Opera does, but I'm not sure if it applies to sounds
caused by plugins.) From a user's perspective, if it's late at night and
there are people asleep nearby, you've probably woken them up; if you're
at work, supposed to be working on a report, you've been sacked; and if
you were listening to your own music, you're now listening to a garbled
concaphony of noise.

--
Toby A Inkster BSc (Hons) ARCS
Contact Me ~ http://tobyinkster.co.uk/contact

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