Re: 256 web page

[P3D Gregory J. Wageman <gjw@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Ron Labbe replied to my request for fewer images/page thusly:

>>Anyone who is using a computer with an 8-bit display (and that includes
>>tens of thousands of Sun Microsystems and other workstations that myself
>>and my colleagues use on our desks at work every day) can only display
>>256 colors at a time. 

>As a web host, I decided to cater to the browsers capable of 16-24 bit
>color rather than the lowest common denominator... sorry to those with
>8-bit, but I feel your not serious about computer graphics!

I was hoping that people would give a little thought to my request and
not immediately give this kind of cliche, elistist response.  I should
have known better.  Having fewer images per page would in no way hurt
those with thousands or millions of colors available.  In fact, even
the 16-bit graphics users could likely benefit somewhat, particularly
with pictures of "natural" images (skin tones and such).

I tried to make it clear that I'm talking about equipment that I don't
own (my employer does) and thus can't upgrade.  This has absolutely
nothing to do with how "serious" *I* am about graphics.  Here in Silicon
Valley, a large number of us take advantage of our employers' high-speed
Internet connections (often T1 or better), vs. the 28.8K modem we are
likely to have at home, to do our Web browsing.  I'm currently at a
company with literally a thousand 8-bit Suns on desktops.  Every one
of these is a potential viewer of your Web pages.  I know there are
other similar companies here in the Valley and elsewhere.  You are
potentially excluding all such users from properly viewing your pages.

And what about the newly-emerging Web-TV and "Internet appliance"
market?  Talk about least-common-denominator!

Anyway, before this gets too off-topic, you're of course entitled to
design your web pages any way you like.  I just think it would be nice if
Web designers gave a moment's thought to supporting a more varied
class of users in ways that don't compromise the overall presentation.

As for me, if someone's pages don't work in my environment, I'm free
not to visit them again.  After all, there're millions more of them.

	-Greg W.


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