Is JavaScript “Back”?
nerkles March 14th, 2005
Molly.com has an interesting post (and ensuing discussion) about “The Return of JavaScript”.
I posted this in the comments (so far it seems to still be in the moderation queue UPDATE: it’s posted now.):
It is “back,” but in a new way.
JS + DOM + CSS enables us to start with a basic, standards-compliant, accessible page first, and then add in some clever tricks and styling with JavaScript and the DOM later (after the page loads). It’s tricky (though a fun challenge) to do it in ways that don’t ruin the order in which a screen reader like JAWS will read the page. Using a post-page-load script to move elements around can help you determine how search engines and content indexing systems will read your pages, but you can still have the layout you want.
I recently wrestled that one down (I think!) in this method of adding a floated sidebar that text can wrap around while keeping it at the end of the source.
The DOM can become a good friend to standards-based design now that a majority of browsers support it well. And emerging things like Ajax can make very interesting use of the DOM too.
