To: www-talk @ info.cern.ch
Subject: Useful icons or standard icons?
I am not at all sure that "heavyweight" standardisation of icons is right
for WWW at the present time. On the other hand, I have a lot of sympathy
with the idea of making a commonly used set of icons readily available
for HTML authors.
The problem with "standardisation" is that
a) we don't really know what set of icons we want, and
adding new ones or changing the graphics for a "standard" set
will be difficult;
b) we certainly don't yet have the best graphics for the
icons we need - real artists need to get involved!;
c) different styles and sizes of graphic for icons with the
same meaning might be appropriate for different document "styles"
(artistic material might want more "flowery" icons than
scientific material, and some subject areas might want
icons of a common style related to the subject; small and larger
versions of most icons are probably needed).
The following HTML page works in Windows Mosaic (TRY IT!), and
illustrates what I think would be a more appropriate approach.
I think that all we need is a "well-known" site (or sites) to host a
"Useful ICONs" page, based on the prototype page given below. (Obvious
sites are those that provide WWW software). Note that the icons should
actually be copied to local files and should be "moderated", and that
some assurance of continuous and continued access to the icons should be
given. They should also all be massaged to a consistent size.
Any offers to host such a page?
Note that HTML authors can either reference the URLs of the icons in
someone's "Useful ICONs" page, or can copy them to local files.
**** None of this addresses the question of minimising network traffic,
but I really feel this is pretty irrelevant for ICON access. ****
Here follows the draft prototype HTML page (no doubt a real host site
would improve it!):
<title>Useful ICONs for HTML authors</title>
<p>
<h1>Useful ICONs</h1>
<p>
<h2>Commitment and disclaimer</h2>
<p>
The following sets of icons are intended for use in HTML documents. The
icons have been provided by a number of sources, but are stored locally
and can be referenced by
"http://xxx.yyy.zzz/icons/<i>icon-name</i>.<i>image-type</i>".
<p>
The HTTP server containing this document and these icons is normally
available on a
twenty-four hour basis, and every attempt will be made to ensure
continuous access.
<p>
Nonetheless, no guarantees of continued availability can be given.
<p>
<h2>Use by authors</h2>
<p>
These icons can either be referenced in an HTML document (in which case
the latest versions will always be obtained) or can be copied to local
files (providing protection against permanent or temporary withdrawal of
this system from the Net). The former approach is recommended.
<p>
<h2>Contribution of new or improved icons</h2>
<p>
The owners of this WWW page will add new useful icons, new versions of
the current icons in different image formats (as image standards
change), and alternative or improved graphics for current icons.
<p>
URLs for new or improved icons should be sent to ........ for possible
inclusion as a "useful icon". The decision of the authors of this page
on the inclusion of new icons or the replacement of icon graphics is
final.
<p>
<h2>Icons currently available</h2>
<p>
The following "well-known" icons are currently available:
<p>
<a href="http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/demoweb/sound.xbm"><img
src="http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/demoweb/sound.xbm">
</a><pre> </pre>This icon is called <i>sound</i>, and is available in
<i>xbm</i>
and <i>gif</i> and <i>bmp</i> formats. It is intended for use in an
anchor that points to a sound recording.
<p>
<a href="http://www.hcc.hawaii.edu/dinos/next.gif"><img
src="http://www.hcc.hawaii.edu/dinos/next.gif">
</a><pre> </pre>This icon is called <i>next</i>, and is available in
<i>xbm</i>
and
<i>gif</i> and <i>bmp</i> formats. It is intended for use in an anchor
that points to the next item in a set of related pieces of information.
<p>
<a href="http://www.hcc.hawaii.edu/dinos/prev.gif"><img
src="http://www.hcc.hawaii.edu/dinos/prev.gif">
</a><pre> </pre>This icon is called <i>prev</i>, and is available in
<i>xbm</i>
and
<i>gif</i> and <i>bmp</i> formats. It is intended for use in an anchor
that points to the previous item in a set of related pieces of
information.
<p>
<a href="http://www.hcc.hawaii.edu/dinos/table.gif"><img
src="http://www.hcc.hawaii.edu/dinos/table.gif">
</a><pre> </pre>This icon is called <i>table</i>, and is available in
<i>xbm</i>
and
<i>gif</i> and <i>bmp</i> formats. It is intended for use in an anchor
that points to the table of contents for a set of related pieces of
information.
<p>
<a href="http://www.hcc.hawaii.edu/dinos/home.gif"><img
src="http://www.hcc.hawaii.edu/dinos/home.gif">
</a><pre> </pre>This icon is called <i>home</i>, and is available in
<i>xbm</i>
and
<i>gif</i> and <i>bmp</i> formats. It is intended for use in an anchor
that points to the "top" of a set of related pieces of information, or
to a site's home page.
<p>
Etc Etc.
<p>
