[help]image Maps

Well, here's my argument.

Image maps are not helpful for any practical use I can think of. All of the features are too complex to understand the code, and for people like me who would have to have a photoshop program to count the pixels, becasue as of yet I am minus the ability to count a pixel at a time with regular eyesight.

Alternatives:

Tables, with multiple smaller images. It takes just as long to load mutiple small images rether than a big one and a lot of MAP code.

Vanilla HTML/XHTML

I mean like this:

<a href="http://www.aqua-soft.org/board/"><img src="../../unavailable.html" border=0></a>

Drawbacks:

LOL the only one i can think of; You cannot have a big map of the country you live in where people can just click the state/province/what have you. But even someone who doesnt know the qeography of their country for where they are vistiting can't use one of these.

Am I wrong?

#211718

Originally posted by ihartmacz+Sep 3 2004, 10:46 PM-->
QUOTE(ihartmacz @ Sep 3 2004, 10:46 PM)
Am I wrong?
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Yes, in most situations.
Originally posted by ihartmacz@Sep 3 2004, 10:46 PM
Image maps are not helpful for any practical use I can think of. All of the features are too complex to understand the code, and for people like me who would have to have a photoshop program to count the pixels, becasue as of yet I am minus the ability to count a pixel at a time with regular eyesight.
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>
The practical use is to produce a map, using images, on which one may click, surprisingly. As you later note, a clickable country map is a typical example. Semantic page design dictates that the logical element to use for an imagemap is, in fact, an imagemap.
Originally posted by ihartmacz@Sep 3 2004, 10:46 PM
Tables, with multiple smaller images. It takes just as long to load mutiple small images rether than a big one and a lot of MAP code.
Vanilla HTML/XHTML
I mean like this:
<a href="http://www.aqua-soft.org/board/"><img src="../../unavailable.html" border=0></a>
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>
This is wrong. It takes longer to load multiple small images than one large one, assuming similar compression levels. Why? Because the smaller images won't be as compressible, statistically. For example, one large image with lots of black regions and lots of green regions can be compressed into (for example's sake) black background with green blobs at the particular locations and shapes (yes, this isn't exactly accurate, but the principle remains). Furthermore, each seperate image will require the initiation of a seperate TCP connection (assuming no keep-alive), or acknowledgement of a completed transfer (with keep-alive).
Not only that, but a table can't be an irregular shape, unlike an imagemap's regions. Try fitting a table around country borders.

#212428

Post Removed.

If you have nothing constructive to add to the discussion, then don't bother.

And no, recommending an image-mapping application doesn't contribute anything.

----------------------------

Stevie BM

#212946

Originally posted by ihartmacz@Sep 3 2004, 03:46 PM
Am I wrong?
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

On this occasion too! Thanx steevie

#212985