[thelist] navigation through form posting

[.jeff]

tony,

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> From: Tony Brandner
>
> I've come across a few sites lately that implement
> navigation through form posting.
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which is too bad really considering all the obstacle it presents for potential buyers.

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> I can think of a few pros to this approach, and a few
> cons (the biggest being the fact that not all browsers
> use JavaScript), but I wanted to see what some of the
> other list members felt about this implementation.
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if page views are based entirely on forms posting (as opposed to using the get method) to the next page, then i can think of tons of issues.

 - pages can't be accurately bookmarked.
 - users can't share a page with others by simply
   sending the address they see in the address bar.
 - using the back button gives an expired form
   post message.
 - reloading gives a "repost form data" message.
 - users can't shift-click a link to view something
   in a new window.
 - link destinations are obscured in a manner even
   worse than obscuring it with descriptive text
 - non-js browsers and browsers with js disabled
   can't use the site *at all*.

i'm sure i could think of more, if necessary.

bottom line:  usability nightmare.  i'd wager it's also a nightmare to maintain, debug, upgrade, etc.

.jeff

http://evolt.org/
jeff at members.evolt.org
http://members.evolt.org/jeff/