Feedback: Links Want To Be Links

Feedback on:
Links Want To Be Links

Worth:
Very worth reading

Length:
Just right

Technical:
Just right

Comments:
Good work, Jukka!

This is one of the most complete work I have seen to date on linking, a fundamental concept behind hypertextization.

The author has studied the problem well, presented them with authority and used numerous useful resources.

One of my favorite approaches is to point out the limitations, which has been done well here.

It was heartening to see various "strands" (CSS, JavaScript) come together.

It may be worthwhile mentioning:

1. Work by Vannevar Bush, Ted Nelson and the Memex concept, for historic purposes.
2. That we are talking about uni-directional linking. More advanced implementations occur in reference to XML and VRML.

Length:
Too long

Comments:
You make some very good points, but please do not underestimate the need for simplicity beyond what the standard convention provides.

For example, my company is fielding dozens of calls a day from people who are confused by the fact that a file they need to download gets opened by an enbedded viewer - a situation that they find to be very confusing and tends to be problematic (e.g. a Word 97 document that doesn't print properly when Word 97 opens as an embedded component of IE 5.5). I can't find any universal method of forcing the file to download - something that will reduce confusion amoungst our public users and reduce our customer service costs. On-page instructions to click the right mouse button and select "Save target As" has not reduced the calls noticeably, and the last thing we want our web site to do is frustrate and confuse our customers.

My point is that many users need simplicity far beyond what us tech-savvy folks have been prepared to deliver, and some of the techniques you criticise are necessary to achieve that simplicity.

Worth:
Very worth reading

Comments:
"Links Want To Be Links" article is pedantic, exsaustive, exsausting & excellant.
Thanks

Length:
Too long

Comments:
Two comments (and a small note):

1) According to Nielsens study on visited/active link colours, yes, users saw blue as active and red/purple as visited, but it *didn't* matter what shade. In fact, several usability studies have indicated the brash default colours are too distracting when it comes to trying to actually read the text.

2) From the research I've read, there is no difference in usability between white on black and black on white-- it's the contrast that is the issue. Black on white is a print hold-over-- what are you basing your white on black comments on?

Just interested in clarification and myth-debunking--
-- C

Worth:
Very worth reading

Comments:
Please fix word wrap. Text cut off on right regardless of screen res.