Platinum Edition Using XHTML™, XML, and Java™ 2

Reasons Not to Use Frames

Frames have come under some heavy criticism by advocates of Web page usability. Specifically, their concerns include

• Not all users have frames-capable browsers. Although the number of such users is relatively small, you still need to keep these users in mind. The <noframes> element provides a workaround to this concern, so you should use that element diligently.

• Not all users can print from within a frameset. Initially, it was difficult to print an individual document within a frameset, but browsers have come a long way in making it possible to print the contents of a particular frame. Even so, there are no assurances that all users are using a browser that can print documents in a frameset, so this concern remains ...