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One size does not fit all

ProfilePosted byOptionsPost Date

RolloTheRed

RolloTheRed Report 15 Dec 2012 10:17

"No made to measure baby
One size does not fit all"

For those not into web technology I apologize in advance for this post but it is unavoidable.

Earlier this year GRU made a halting transition into using somewhat newer web technology albeit some distance from the cutting edge. After months and months when the site was more or less unusable some stability has come back. There have also been some useful updates.

One of the key elements of using the newer web technology is that the code that does the donkey work ( usually javascript + libraries such as Ajax ) is separated from the code that controls the look and feel ( css ).

The advantage of this is that a web page should be able to easily adapt to the size of the user's display, allow the user their own choice of colors and allow user css to be used. This last is extremely important for access by people with any kind of visual problem or difficulties in manipulating keyboards and mice.

GRU has not made any attempt whatsoever to use these advantages of CSS display code. Instead it seems to have a policy of lock down design and total disregard of people who may be using devices as diverse as an iPad, SmartPhone, very large screen, multiple screens, old standards such as 1024x768 and so on.

It has also broken the standard CSS scripts which come with Firefox, Opera and some other browsers for visually impaired people.

My suggestion for 2013 is that GRU devleopers get their finger out and start using html5 / css in the way in which it was intended.

* user definable colors / fonts
* real support for varying sizes of display
* make it much easier for user defined CSS to run

I have myself written CSS code to make GRU behave the way I want it to, so all of this is perfectly possible.

happy Christmas and a jolly new year