Secondary window vs. popup (was: HTML question)

[Geoff Hart <ghart -at- videotron -dot- ca>]

Bonnie Granat responded to my summary of how to display a secondary 
window: <<Keep in mind that while I may have JS turned on, I definitely 
have pop-ups turned off. I think many do.>>

I probably wasn't clear in my original posting. This is not a popup, 
which in the context you mention is something intrusive that appears 
automatically, without the intervention of the user of the browser. 
Instead, I'm creating a standard link to something requested by the 
user: If they don't follow the link, no window appears; if they do 
follow the link, the original page remains open in the background for 
ease of reference.

I leave the original window open in the background so that the user 
doesn't lose context, and can return to the original window without 
having to hit the back button: simply Alt-F4 (Windows) or Command-W 
(Mac) to close the secondary window. The specific application I'm 
creating here is actually for my own Web site, where I've created a 
short "why you need an editor" quiz. I've created a secondary window 
for each question, containing the answer and a brief discussion.

This sort of thing may not be necessary once "tabbed browsing" becomes 
more popular. But for other applications, it's sometimes useful to 
leave an origin window open when the browser follows a pathway down the 
proverbial rabbit hole. Some people know how to open links in a new 
window by themselves, but for those who don't, it's a kindness to leave 
their origin still visible. Used judiciously, you don't end up spawning 
dozens of open windows unless the user specifically requests them.

--Geoff Hart   ghart -at- videotron -dot- ca
(try geoffhart -at- mac -dot- com if you don't get a reply)


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