Web Design Hampers Mobile Internet?

aws910 writes "Reuters is running an article on how flashy web design is impacting the usability of internet-enabled mobile devices, with quotes from Tim Berners-Lee. Although the article is sparse on details, it is an interesting topic for discussion. Having recently bought an internet-enabled cellphone, I can honestly say that most websites are painful to view on a 240x320 screen over a GPRS connection(EVDO is expensive/US-only). Have we moved away from 56K-modem-oriented design, only to be pulled back in that direction?"

Comments

Hey, here's a clue for you.

[deacon]

It hampers everyones web experience. We use the web for education or entertainment.

If we look for educational (informational) material, artsy-fartsy page design gets in the way. It increased the download time of the page. It never qualifies as "Art". If page layouts are not idiotic, they are tediously, pretensiously, BORING! Worst: Flash intros with no non-flash skip button. Sheesh!

If we look for entertainment material, REPEATING THE SAME FLASH INTRO AND MOVING MENUS every time we visit the site is NOT ENTERTAINMENT. Wacka-Chicka 70's porn music is not amusing 35 years later.

Hell, even when we look for porn, we want the porn. We did not go to a web page in search of stupid icons and animated (non-porn) gifs.

And speaking of porn (did I mention porn?), what is with all those shaved twats? It makes the model look 11 years old.

Yuck!

Not to mention the prolifiration of porn shots that have all the allure of a gyneological or animal husbandry textbook, but that's a rant for another time and place.

P.S.

For those who remember my objection to Jacksons whitherd tit at the superbowl now calling me a hypocrite about porn, I will spell out the difference for you:

I have no objection to people searching out, viewing, consuming, etc. porn, (animal, vegetable, or mineral) as long as it does not involve underage children.

I do object to porn being thrown in the faces of people who were not looking for and did not expect to see it. That's just plain rude.

Re:In all honesty...

[The_reformant]

look, you guys sound like your halfway to the grave. Adding more visual and multimedia content is a good thing, although it can be mis used just as plain text can be misused.
You represent most of what is wrong with the slashdot community, you consider yourself full of technical prowess but your feel to superior to allow any innovation so you instead slam anything new as just a waste of time.
If you guys are really happy with your command line interfaces, dull static webpages, only 256 colours and only 56k modems then perhaps you should consider putting yourself (and all of us who have to listen to your elitist drivel) out of your misery.