Ubuntu
firefox package

Bug #239462
Comment #9

Comment 9 for bug 239462

Revision history for this message

In Mozilla Bugzilla #395668, Dave Jakeman (davejakeman) wrote on 2008-08-06:

[Original text copied in from a duplicate bug report:]

Suggested Improvement to Title Text Display Model
=================================================

In Firefox 3, hyperlink title text (title="description") is no longer
truncated, bringing Firefox into line with Internet Explorer. This is a most
welcome addition -- thanks guys!

The trouble is, Firefox now suffers the same problem that IE does: if the page
author puts a large amount of text in a title string, the user doesn't have
time to read it. This is not necessarily the author's oversight and could be
improved in Firefox.

The current title text display model works something like this:

1. User moves mouse pointer over object and then holds still;

2. After something less than one second of zero pointer motion, the title text
is displayed, wrapping if necessary;

3. A display timer is started;

4. Providing the pointer remains static, the title text displays for a maximum
of five seconds;

5. The displayed text disappears and redisplay is disabled;

6. When the pointer next moves, title text redisplay is enabled, subject 2
above.

From the end-user perspective, this translates as:

1. Move pointer over object, hold still, wait for title text to appear;

2. Read frantically as much as you can before the five-second timer cuts in;

3. If you finished reading it, you're done!

4. If you didn't, move pointer slightly, hold still, wait for title text to
reappear;

5. Quickly find where you left off reading previously and repeat as many times
as needed from step 2, trying to understand the partial sentence you just read
and remembering everything you read before.

This can be a frustrating experience, so I'd like to suggest two possible
display models by way of improvement. The first would be very simple to do,
but still only an approximation of what should occur; the second is the proper
way to do it:

Alternative 1
-------------

Instead of displaying the title text for a fixed time period of five seconds,
display it for four seconds (say) plus some function of the title text length.
Through experimentation, the display time could roughly match the time for a
slow-to-average reader to read the title, given no distractions. For different
languages, this would be an approximation.

From the end-user perspective, this would translate exactly as above, but with
greater likelihood of reading it all first time through.

Alternative 2
-------------

With the existing model, title text display is triggered by zero pointer motion
for a fixed time period. Maintain that, but also use pointer motion as the
event trigger to vanish the text, disabling redisplay until the pointer moves
off the object completely (moving back over the object would re-enable
display). Ditch the display timer.

From the end-user perspective, this would translate as:

1. Move pointer over object, hold still, wait for title text to appear;

2. Read as much of the title text as you want, at your own pace;

3. Read something else, or if the title text is obscuring something, move the
pointer slightly to make it disappear. It will disappear when you next move
your mouse anyway.

The advantage of the latter model is it puts the user back in control of his
browsing experience -- just as it should be -- instead of the browser making
arbitrary decisions on his behalf. It would make lengthy title text helpful,
instead of a challenge for the user to read. Another advantage is that often,
after reading the title text, you don't actually want it to reappear. This
solves that also. From the user perspective, it would be much simpler and
rather intuitive too.

Of the two suggested models, I would greatly prefer and recommend the latter,
but either would be an improvement over the current model and IE.

Hope you can take this one up.

Dave Jakeman

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1.Put in HTML: <a href="http://www.example.com/" title="(lengthy
title)">Link</a>
2.Render the HTML
3.Hover mouse pointer over link noting how difficult it is to read lengthy
title
Actual Results:
It's difficult for the user to read lengthy title text.

Expected Results:
It should be easy for the user to read lengthy title text.

Here is an example link with a real-world legal document title:

The titles of some legal documents are considerably longer than this!

[Original text copied in from a duplicate bug report:]

Suggested Improvement to Title Text Display Model
=================================================

In Firefox 3, hyperlink title text (title="description") is no longer
truncated, bringing Firefox into line with Internet Explorer.  This is a most
welcome addition -- thanks guys!

The trouble is, Firefox now suffers the same problem that IE does: if the page
author puts a large amount of text in a title string, the user doesn't have
time to read it.  This is not necessarily the author's oversight and could be
improved in Firefox.

The current title text display model works something like this:

1.  User moves mouse pointer over object and then holds still;

2.  After something less than one second of zero pointer motion, the title text
is displayed, wrapping if necessary;

3.  A display timer is started;

4.  Providing the pointer remains static, the title text displays for a maximum
of five seconds;

5.  The displayed text disappears and redisplay is disabled;

6.  When the pointer next moves, title text redisplay is enabled, subject 2
above.

From the end-user perspective, this translates as:

1.  Move pointer over object, hold still, wait for title text to appear;

2.  Read frantically as much as you can before the five-second timer cuts in;

3.  If you finished reading it, you're done!

4.  If you didn't, move pointer slightly, hold still, wait for title text to
reappear;

5.  Quickly find where you left off reading previously and repeat as many times
as needed from step 2, trying to understand the partial sentence you just read
and remembering everything you read before.

This can be a frustrating experience, so I'd like to suggest two possible
display models by way of improvement.  The first would be very simple to do,
but still only an approximation of what should occur; the second is the proper
way to do it:

Alternative 1
-------------

Instead of displaying the title text for a fixed time period of five seconds,
display it for four seconds (say) plus some function of the title text length. 
Through experimentation, the display time could roughly match the time for a
slow-to-average reader to read the title, given no distractions.  For different
languages, this would be an approximation.

From the end-user perspective, this would translate exactly as above, but with
greater likelihood of reading it all first time through.

Alternative 2
-------------

With the existing model, title text display is triggered by zero pointer motion
for a fixed time period.  Maintain that, but also use pointer motion as the
event trigger to vanish the text, disabling redisplay until the pointer moves
off the object completely (moving back over the object would re-enable
display).  Ditch the display timer.

From the end-user perspective, this would translate as:

1.  Move pointer over object, hold still, wait for title text to appear;

2.  Read as much of the title text as you want, at your own pace;

3.  Read something else, or if the title text is obscuring something, move the
pointer slightly to make it disappear.  It will disappear when you next move
your mouse anyway.

The advantage of the latter model is it puts the user back in control of his
browsing experience -- just as it should be -- instead of the browser making
arbitrary decisions on his behalf.  It would make lengthy title text helpful,
instead of a challenge for the user to read.  Another advantage is that often,
after reading the title text, you don't actually want it to reappear.  This
solves that also.  From the user perspective, it would be much simpler and
rather intuitive too.