I'd just like to comment that, unless I have completely missed some
implications of these proposals, that they don't cede any more control
to service providers than you currently cede to browser authors.
We're *not* suggesting that there be some protocol whereby service
authors can add or delete items on the history list (a.k.a. "document
stack"). We're merely suggesting that it may make sense that service
providers who know how their service is supposed to work are in the
best position to say what should happen when a user "backs up" into a
particular page (one that *they* served -- not any other pages!!!). It
may well be that 9 times out of 10 the right thing to do is to display
the expired page, but there may also be instances where reloading the
page is the appropriate behavior. And that's all we're talking about
-- whether or not to reload pages.
One other approach to these issues comes to mind as a result of your
comments though: that is to suggest to browser authors that they make
these different behaviors User Preferences. This has problems of its
own though, especially since it is the least sophisticated users whose
hand you (as a service provider) want to hold the most, and these are
exactly the ones who will not know about setting preferences, and will
be the most confused by "Data Missing" messages, mysteriously cleared forms,
and the like.
> Otherwise I agree with the authors' disadvantages to options 1, 4A and
> 4B.
>
> Jon
>
> -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
> Jon Knight, Researcher, Sysop and General Dogsbody, Department of Computer
> Studies, Loughborough University of Technology, Leics., ENGLAND. LE11 3TU.
> *** Nothing looks so like a man of sense as a fool who holds his tongue ***
>
Shel Kaphan
sjk@amazon.com