launchpad-dev team mailing list archive

[Robert Collins <robert.collins@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Tue, Jun 7, 2011 at 2:01 AM, Aaron Bentley <aaron@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
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> On 11-06-03 05:05 PM, Robert Collins wrote:
>> I think progress enhancement is a good solution for content sites
>> (static content, little interaction). Launchpad is not one of those
>> sites. We care about accessibility, but we don't particularly care
>> about access from mobile devices or non-javascript browsers. Imagine
>> using gmail with a non-js browser.
>
> I think we should care a little about mobile access.  I responded to a
> team membership request on my phone this weekend, for example.

Mobile access is a complex topic. If your phone is running iOS or
android it can run the full Launchpad javascript. If you have a
symbian or even more basic device then more and more of the
functionality on top of the basic HTML will be inaccessible.

So by mobile devices I should more strictly say roaming devices
without a full browser stack.

The reason I think we don't care about them *in general* is a cost argument:
 - the largest single activity (measured by server resources consumed
is done by our users is reporting via launchpadlib)
 - then software developers doing software development (bugs, specs,
code pushes)
 - then a chunk of end users interacting with developers over problems
in the software they are trying to use
 - and finally project management

It may make sense to care (a lot) about 'mobile device' access for
some of those activities, but it shouldn't be the default thing for us
unless we can make it near free. At least today, its not near-free.

-Rob