Re: HTML icon set was: Additions to the CGI archive

Dale Dougherty (dale@ora.com)
Thu, 6 Jan 1994 16:44:38 -0800


On Jan 6, 1:06pm, nikos@cbl.leeds.ac.uk wrote:
} Subject: HTML icon set was: Additions to the CGI archive
>>> in the next release of NCSA httpd the directory indexing will be overhauled
>>> and with that a default icons directory of/icons/ will be included in the
>>> standard distribution.
>>
>>But then they still need to be transferred. I would prefer to see a set
>>of magic URL's specified in the HTML+ spec for a number of images such as
>>folder, menu, file, bin file, text file etc.
>>
>
>Apart from images such as those above which are used in documents
>that are generated on the fly, there are a lot of other images
>which are used as navigation icons in authored or converted documents,
>e.g. next page, previous page, up group, index, contents, information/help,
>home page, get code, mail author, audio link, movie link, etc.
>
>In some cases these icons are well designed (e.g. GNN) but for those
>of us lacking artistic flair it would be better to have a set of
>standard icons that could also become part of the HTML+ spec.
>
>This will reduce the amount of traffic and give a more consistent look
>and feel to HTML documents. Of course nobody will be obliged to use them.
>
>So if anyone is designing an HTML icon set (is anyone doing that?)
>I think it would be a good idea to consider this larger set.
>
>>-- Martijn
>
>Nikos.
>__
>Nikos Drakos
>Computer Based Learning Unit nikos@cbl.leeds.ac.uk
>University of Leeds http://cbl.leeds.ac.uk/nikos/personal.html
>
}-- End of excerpt from nikos@cbl.leeds.ac.uk

If there's sufficient interest in a common icon library,
I'd be willing to involve our graphic designers who developed
the icons for GNN. A common library of icons would help users
have a consistent navigational interface.

What our designers would need (besides more time) is a list
of the icons and their desired functions. I recommend that
we start with a small list of functions (next, previous, up).

The only problem I see in proposing this solution is how
do we get an agreement on such a library? Perhaps the best
way to do it is to make available a library of icons, identify
the library so that other libraries can be used, and if folks don't
like the existing library, new ones can be developed. (This
does seem, after all, like the Web way.)

I'd appreciate any comments on what basic icons are required.
As I said earlier, I'd also like to get some sense whether
creating this icon library is worthwhile in the first place
before committing to develop it.

Dale

-- 
Dale Dougherty (dale@ora.com) 
Publisher, Global Network Navigator, O'Reilly & Associates, Inc.
103A Morris Street, Sebastopol, California 95472 
(707) 829-3762 (home office); 1-800-998-9938