I hate Comet Cursors. I mean, I really hate them. I hate anything on a web site that plays with my mouse.
I’m really annoyed by javascript mouse-overs and web page designs that are all graphical, with no links.
I hate the Quicktime plug-in because it instantly bluescreens my computer (the Windows Quicktime player is wildly incompatible with multi-monitor setups).
I’m not too wild about Flash or Shockwave, but I have seen some pretty cool things that use them.
Any others that annoy you people?
Doh, second point, make that “text links” not just “links.” Preview is not my friend, apparently…
Multiple Pop-Up Windows of Annoyance.
[Miss Peacock]
I hate them… soooooooooooo much.
[/Miss Peacock]
If you are looking for a place to see cool flash check out http://www.yugop.com it is a wicked cool place with flash. I don’t think the guy sells anything. Just likes to experiment.
Okay, that site is pretty cool. Gotta love that clock.
The only mouse over feature I like is the one where you attach a caption to a picture.
Other than that, it seems like EVERYONE has to put these fancy schmancy bells and whistles all over their websites-that usually suck.
Java script. Can’t do a damn thing on the computer when the page is loading.
Embedded music on web pages!!! God, I really freaking hate that! Most of the time when the song starts to play it scares the crap outta me. Nine times out of ten I surf late at night, in my nice quiet bedroom. Or during the day when I have the house to myself. Sitting there peacefully laughing at someone’s personal page or something and BLAM, the music starts.
Can’t tell you how many times I’ve nearly wet my pants over that.
I remember one time I was reading this thread about the Lemon Tree song: http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=42990
I open the first link, and read the lyrics. I minimze the screen, forget about it, and later hear the same song coming from somewhere in the house. It was really weird! It just turned out that my computer speakers were turned down low, and the midi started playing without me noticing.
I really think it should be a standard on browsers that you can immediately shut off midi files.
Yeah, that’s just basic HTML ALT tags. Absolutely compulsory (or they should be) for people with text-based browsers, audio browsers or (like me) images switched off.
One of the most funniest (although quite annoying, so I think it belongs in this thread) features you can see if you go to:
http://www.mary-poppins.co.uk/
and try to right click on the image of Mary Poppins and save the image.
On a related note, on one of my previous computers, if I ran across a page with embedded midi while listening to music, my computer would instantly reboot, no warning. Fun. Love it when an instrumental version of the Titanic song was the harbinger of death for my system…
Embedded music Gaahhh!
Those stupid strings of layered objects that chase the mouse cursor about.
Scrolling text in the status bar that means you can’t see where links are going to take you when you put the mouse over them (especially)
Disabled right-click (OK, I know this is supposed to be so that you can’t ‘view source’) you can’t open a link in a new window or view the properties of a link to see where it takes you (see above). [sup]Maybe I don’t have permission to steal things from Mary Poppins, but now I also don’t have the inclination to return to your website thank you![/sup]
Flash sites that didn’t need to use Flash at all
Bad colour schemes like oooh, Yellow text on cyan background maybe, don’t these people look at what they’ve created before they upload it?
Likewise bad background images that make the foreground text unreadable.
A lot of skin sites do this (though usually without the scrolling.) They replace all the URLs with “Free Galleries!” or some such to disguise the fact that their page HAS no actual content, it’s just a ton of links to other sites.
And count this as another vote against Flash: when I click on a link I want to see the webpage, not wait five minutes for some damned little movie to load.
Also those “Hit the Monkey and Win $20” banners; I’ve turned off animations in IE but these little monkey heads keep whizzing back and forth!
I can’t see most of this crap because I don’t have any plugins installed, and I keep java disabled. It is unwise for businesses to require plugins for you to get any content off the site. I need Megasuperplugin 4.9 to see your site? Sorry, bozo, you just lost a customer!
I hate sites where the top level page is some stinkin’ huge graphic that sez “Click here to enter!” or some movie that won’t load 'cause I don’t have Flash. Go to hell! If I type http://www.somewebpage.com I want to see content. CONTENT!!!
Also, in this day and age, there is no excuse for using the blink tags. Nor for having tiny animated dancing teddy bears in tutus. This is one case where I support the death penalty.
Vying with the hit-the-monkey banner ad is the one that says “If this graphic is flashing, you’ve won!” Gee, I’ve won! It must be my lucky day! Or “You have one message waiting for you!” Like you’re supposed to be confused, and think that’s a dialog box that Windows popped up. Who the hell clicks on those things? All the pundits are moaning and wailing that the web will no longer be free if nobody ever clicks through. Jeezus, give me a reason to click on an ad for once!
Just tangentially, have you ever clicked through on some of the sponsored links on Google? The few times I bothered, I was treated to the worst business sites I’ve ever seen! They look like they were cobbled together by web-illiterate color-blind nursing-home residents. Cripes, instead of paying money to advertise on Google, maybe they should pay some kid $10 to make up a decent website. Maybe they’re good at what they do, but judging by that website I wouldn’t bet on it! It makes Google look bad–they should refuse to sell ads to anyone with more than five animated gifs on their front page.
Blink tags. Anything that blinks makes me want to hit the Home button. “If this is flashing, you’ve won!” No, if this is flashing, I’m leaving. Morons. Do they think they’re the only site on the web? Do they think they’re the first ones to come up with this cool idea?
Black writing on red. Red writing on black. Blech.
Some of those drawings by Slug Signorino are kinda disturbing, but I’m not sure that counts…
BONZI MUST DIE!!!
I can think of nothing more fun than to shove some a 16KVa line onto their server to create a wonderful new dish…blackened monkey.
When you get right down to it, the animation that follows your mouse around doesn’t bother me that much. I’m easily amused and sometimes little rainbow hearts twirling around my screen can be funny.
But I’ll agree with some other things. Anyone who designs a website where text needs to be highlighted before you can read it should be slapped around repeatedly with a large trout.
That epileptic inducing flashing ad needs to go.
Oh, ever try searching for clip art on the web? 99.99999% of the places out there give you a top ten list of best places to find clip art. You click on one and that websites that comes up has nothing on it but a list of the top ten websites with clip art on it. Oh, and ads.
And yes, people do indeed get confused by the “click here, you lucky lucky winner!” or “Click here for a letter from your mailbox.” I fell victim to it the first time I ever saw those and I’ve had to explain to numerous people what was going on. They thought that since there was an “x” box in the graphic, they could click on it and it would disappear. Those slick advertisers…
That bloody thing they do that makes the ‘back’ button not work, you try and go back but you stay on their page <click> sorry guys, you just got added to my unfavourites for that.
Don’t forget those “pop-under” wireless camera ads!
Two-thirds of websites I visit now have some kind of popup that I must kill before I start doing business.