Hello Demetrius.

> URL: http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,17074,00.html 

> What's my point? Just that when you visit the WebTV site for
> developers, their tips for creating WebTV friendly sites includes:

Good stuff here, some [snipped].

> Use the <nobr> </nobr> tags to prevent line breaks in text, a series
> of images, or any other horizontal flow.  

Don't understand. Why would I use something that's force text to 
write over the edges of tables. Will this push things off the right 
edge of the screen? The browser should wrap as necessary, no?

> Avoid small text sizes in HTML and graphics.  

!!! "Stamp Out FONT SIZE=2" !!! (My personal extreme peeve. :)

> Avoid narrow columns; images are scaled and text will wrap
> frequently.  

-Very- annoying. All those '3 column' layouts that force a lot of up 
and down scrolling to find things should -please- drop like flies.

> If you haven't yet purchased a WebTV Internet terminal, you can
> determine whether you have included hardcoded dependencies in your
> layout by increasing the default point size of the browser fonts to
> 18 points, 

Last number I read was 14. Why would the recommend so much larger? 
Not that I care much, I design and cruise at 16 anyway.

> Try to reduce the number of items on your page because television
> audiences are used to looking at one focal point. 

Ahhh. The 'Simpsons Generation'. LOL!

> Use light-colored text against dark-colored backgrounds; television
> audiences find it easier to read.  

[sigh] 

> Don't use horizontal single pixel lines because they flicker on
> television sets.  

There's an episode of 'Mad About You' where Paul is wearing a shirt 
with a bunch of -very- narrow horizontal stripes. His whole chest 
looked like an animated Moire pattern. Bet heads rolled over that 
one. [G]

> Use background music or theme music to provide an experience more
> like television. 	

Ahhh... The "If all my senses are not continuously bombarded with 
'fluff' I might do something useful like actually -think-" 
generation. [G]

> So if we want to design for the WebTV audience as well as the 'Net
> audience, how are we going to design a site that will please both?

WRT 'light on dark' and music, I will -NEVER- grovel at the feet of
the LCD. Of course if I got a mega$ PlayDough site contract I might
compromise a bit. :)

Have a :) day!

jim barchuk
mailto:jb(at)jbarchuk.com
http://www.jbarchuk.com

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