[bsilby]

Hi all,
I posted this in the javascript section, but I think it might be better here for everyone to offer input.

I'm wondering if anyone has been testing WinXP service pack 2 yet.

I've been reading about some of the new popup blocking features in Internet Explorer. Since my games depend on running in specifically sized popups, I'm hoping someone can answer my questions:

1) Can I still create a (use initiated) popup that only has title bar and status bar, but no address bar or tool bar?

2) Will F11 still run IE in fullscreen mode?

3) I've read that IE will now block dhtml ads which slide across the screen looking like a popup. Is that true? If so, how will this affect normal dhtml on a page? My work is totally dependent upon moving animated dhtml elements around the screen, so this is quite important to me.

4) Are there any changes to Internet Explorer which will affect the use of frames on a site?

I hope someone can help me. I plan to get the service pack2 as soon as it comes out as a stable release. But in the mean time, I'm just going on what I've read.

Cheers,
Brent.

[cshark]

Originally Posted by bsilby

Hi all,
I posted this in the javascript section, but I think it might be better here for everyone to offer input.

I'm wondering if anyone has been testing WinXP service pack 2 yet.

I've been reading about some of the new popup blocking features in Internet Explorer. Since my games depend on running in specifically sized popups, I'm hoping someone can answer my questions:

1) Can I still create a (use initiated) popup that only has title bar and status bar, but no address bar or tool bar?

2) Will F11 still run IE in fullscreen mode?

3) I've read that IE will now block dhtml ads which slide across the screen looking like a popup. Is that true? If so, how will this affect normal dhtml on a page? My work is totally dependent upon moving animated dhtml elements around the screen, so this is quite important to me.

4) Are there any changes to Internet Explorer which will affect the use of frames on a site?

I hope someone can help me. I plan to get the service pack2 as soon as it comes out as a stable release. But in the mean time, I'm just going on what I've read.

Cheers,
Brent.

1. I believe there will be an area in IE where you can exempt certain web sites from popup blocking. This will by default include sites like MSN, MSNBC, and Slate. Pretty much anything Microsoft has an interest in that use popups. Mozilla already has something comparable, and it would make sense.
2. Yes.
3. Adversely. If this was deployed, it would make certain kinds of layers useless, and create a non standard interface. I don't forsee them deploying this anytime soon.
4. No. Although they are apparently making some updates to CSS and inline frames which will make life easier. This shouldn't be anything in it to break anything but popups.

If I were in your situation, I would put up a section in your help area to explain how to exempt your web site from ie popup blocking.

The other option is do a redesign.
But the former is probably going to be easier to do.

[bsilby]

Originally Posted by cshark

If I were in your situation, I would put up a section in your help area to explain how to exempt your web site from ie popup blocking.

The other option is do a redesign.
But the former is probably going to be easier to do.

Thanks for your input cshark. I am happy to have users click a link to open a popup to play games. I actually already have a "click here if game window doesn't automatically open" link. The main thing I've been worried about is how much control I can have over what the popup will look like. For example, can I still open a popup that has no menu bar and address bar?

I agree that if SP2 implemented the dhtml control I described it would 'break' a lot of websites. Unless they detect whether a dhtml element is running from a script in the same domain of an external domain (e.g. fastclick.com).

I guess I'll have to wait until I get SP2 before I know for certain what changes I will need to make.

Thanks again for your help,

Brent.

[cshark]

As far as I know, ECMA scripting standards and W3c scripting standards are not going to change all that much. That effectively limits what Microsoft can do with Javascript, DHTML, and HTML in future versions of IE. It wouldn't make any sense for them to brake a million web sites unless there was a gain of some kind in it for them. And then the sites are only broken in IE. The last thing Microsoft wants is for you to understand that there are other choices out there in the way of web browsers.

Although, that DHTML idea you came up with was inspired. Might actually suggest that to a friend of mine at the Mozilla Foundation.

My rule of thumb is, try to work as close to the industry standards as possible. That way, even if the standards change, you're covered. It's also not a bad idea to cross check for things like Opera and Mozilla to see how your pages look and behave.

Luckily, cross checking has gotten a lot easier over the last decade.

Why, I remember Mosaic and Netscape 2. And we didn't have tools... we made web pages from memory, with note pad! And they were ugly, and the code was sloppy. And we liked it!

Just kidding.
Good luck with your site!

[bsilby]

Thanks for all your help cshark.

I test my dhtml games in other browsers. They only work in IE and the Mozilla based broswers (though in Mozilla, the rendering speed is inconsistent and slow) . Opera tends to fall over. I don't think they have a full DOM support. Same with Safari.

Thanks again for your advise.

Brent

[iKwak]

Still waiting for the final release of SP2.