Mystery Meat Navigation

OK, this will be a short post. Maybe. Oh, and it's also a rant, of sorts.

I prefer to keep scripting turned off for almost every site I visit. No popups, no auto-downloaded trash, little advertising ... you get the idea. In my humble opinion, it's like using a condom--it only makes good sense if you're going to engage in questionable behavior. Like surfing the web.

I really hate sites that rely on JavaScript just to function properly. What? Do they think the whole world uses Internet Exploder? Apparently. That said, I don't mind some really useful sites with good reputations, like Amazon.com, using JavaScript. I mean, if I'm going to send them my money, I guess I trust them not to abuse the web relationship. My rule is: if I don't know you, you don't get access to my script engine. Period.

So I surfed to Vincent Flanders' site Web Pages That Suck where he talks about Myster Meat Navigation (MMN). Ironically, you have to use JavaScript on his site just to see all the sucky examples he has. Wow. Ironic. But I digress.

Why can't web sites use plain, simple links that tell you where they lead? I do. My web site doesn't use any script, for any reason. It could be that I don't know how to code JavaScript, but that's not particularly relevant. "Plain old" html works pretty well, and combined with CSS, you can make an attractive site with sizeable fonts and adjustable margins that doesn't--and won't--get in the way of the person visiting. I think that's what's important. Don't you?

Flash animation has its advantages. It also sucks big time if you use it for your home page, because as a non-script webaholic, I feel like I'm the blind man in the world of the stupid. I can't see your wonderful flash-based site, so I just click away. We both miss out.

And another thing. What's up with not having a site that a page reader can simply read? What's up with having text that can't be sized? I dunno about you, but something is really wrong with web site design if they think these types of sites are good.

OK, not so short. But you get the point.