Slashdot Mirror
Web Site "Lock-In"
Danborg writes "There's a great article over at ZDNet about annoying web sites that lock surfers inside a web site once they arrive. This practice, started by porno site operators, appears to have gone mainstream. Formerly respectable corporate sites like Home Depot now lock you in, disabling the use of the "Back" button.
Fortunately, Top9.Com has generated a list of the offending sites.
Is it a legitimate marketing technique? Or a highly annoying example of poor web site design?" I run into this dozens of times a day while reading story submissions. It never ceases to amaze me (but then again, old versions of Slashdot did the same thing, so who am I to judge?)
Don't forget to powercycle the mail client.
-nme!
I remember hearing some (MS I think) browser developer saying how they wanted to make a main-bar button that would toggle javascript, so you can stop a flood of popups fairly easily.
It got dubbed the "porn button" and was, unfortunately, never included.
The reason? People are too lazy to return a 302 Moved (like Google does for the I'm Feeling Lucky button) and instead use a meta refresh. Well, it's wrong!
Browser writers (and Mozilla team): Could you let the back button disable the meta-refresh if you accidentaly back onto a meta-refresh page?
The correct way is: window.location.replace('newpage.html');. This replace the old page with the new in the browsers history.
I'd rather have someone respond than be modded up.
Ever been inside a Home Depot? Its pretty much the same story.. You cant find your way out there either.
Bowie J. Poag
Bowie J. Poag
If they wanted to lock you in, I would wager they could actually disable the Back button with JavaScript (I think some on-line banks do this so they can keep you from going "back" to a page providing info that you just invalidated by performing some transaction).
I hate META http-equiv.
Perhaps the right solution is to have Mozilla not fall for it. For example, one way that I know of that people do this is to have /index.html be a blank page with a META REFRESH or REDIRECT tag pointing to the real homepage. Why not have Mozilla detect the combination of "back" and META REFRESH or REDIRECT and simply not obey the tag?
The other solution would be to take pages out of the history list when they contain a META REDIRECT REFRESH. That would also cause the back button to work as expected, perhap arguably more like expected.
Do either of these solutions break any reasonable practices?
Me: Hello, I'm looking for RedHat Linux for Commodore64, do you have that in stock?
Salesperson: No, but we do have the all-new WindowsYou 2000 v5.0 for Watches! Why don't you let me show that to you?
Me: Umm, no thanks, I think I'll just go look elsewhere.....Umm, excuse me again...
Salesperson: Yes? What is it?
Me: Umm, this door appears to be locked.
Salesperson: Oh, is that so? How odd. Perhaps you'd like to check out the latest release MacOS AquaTealMarine for CoffeePots, now with even more backgrounds!
Me: No, I'd like to leave the store. This door that I justed entered through is now locked.
Salesperson: Well, if you feel you really have to leave, you can climb that ladder into the rafters, walk across that I-beam to the far side of the store, and shimmy down the drainage pipe. But then you'd be missing our sale on OS/4 Impulse for Dishwashers...
I think it's clear that trapping sites are my biggest internet pet-peeve today. This is another reason why all marketing people should never be exposed to any new technology. Ever.
Thank you for contacting homedepot.com! Our Internet team recently received a copy of the e-mail you submitted through our Web site. We would like to thank you for contacting us at homedepot.com and sincerely apologize for any inconvenience you may have experienced while using our Web site. Rest assured, we do not want to limit your access to the Internet from our site. Because the actual Web address for our home page is quite long and complicated (you can see it in the address field of your browser once you are on the page), we have simplified our Web address to www.homedepot.com to make it easier for our customers to remember and access. When you enter our address in your browser, we convert the simple Web address to the real Web page address. For that reason, the "back" button may not work in some browsers. Our technical experts are working to find a way to eliminate this process.
In fact, Microsoft offers a freebie add-on called IE5 PowerTweaks. Among other things, the handful of tools includes menu items (on the Tools menu) called "Add to Restricted Zone" and "Add to Trusted Zone". This lets you manage your cookie-and-javascript-enabled sites without messing around in the "Security" dialog box for five minutes.
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lake effect weblog
{Network engineer in Chicago--looking for work!}
(Note: The summaries say that this is a "Class 6 Felony". This is incorrect.)
13-2316. Computer tampering; venue; forfeiture; classification
A. A person WHO ACTS WITHOUT AUTHORITY OR WHO EXCEEDS AUTHORIZATION OF USE commits computer TAMPERING BY:
6. PREVENTING A COMPUTER USER FROM EXITING A SITE, COMPUTER SYSTEM OR NETWORK-CONNECTED LOCATION IN ORDER TO COMPEL THE USER'S COMPUTER TO CONTINUE COMMUNICATING WITH, CONNECTING TO OR DISPLAYING THE CONTENT OF THE SERVICE, SITE OR SYSTEM.
D. A VIOLATION OF SUBSECTION A, PARAGRAPH 6 OF THIS SECTION CONSTITUTES AN UNLAWFUL PRACTICE UNDER SECTION 44-1522 AND IS IN ADDITION TO ALL OTHER CAUSES OF ACTION, REMEDIES AND PENALTIES THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO THIS STATE. THE ATTORNEY GENERAL MAY INVESTIGATE AND TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION PURSUANT TO TITLE 44, CHAPTER 10, ARTICLE 7.
Section 44-1522 is currently in effect, and reads in relevant part:
44-1522. Unlawful practices; intended interpretation of provisions
A. The act, use, or employment by any person of any deception, deceptive act or practice, fraud, false pretense, false promise, misrepresentation, or concealment, suppression or omission of any material fact with intent that others rely upon such concealment, suppression or omission, in connection with the sale or advertisement of any merchandise whether or not any person has in fact been misled, deceived, or damaged thereby, is declared to be an unlawful practice.
Yes, I work for the Arizona Attorney General, but I am not a spokesman for them. I am a lawyer, but this is not legal advice. Please consult your own attorney before taking any actions based upon information in this posting.
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"This is the nineties. You don't just go around punching people. You have to say something cool first."