[WikiEN-l] Re: Writing about sexual topics responsibly is not censorship

Tue Feb 15 17:09:51 UTC 2005

John Lee said:
>
>
> Until we can have an option of viewing the same document with or
> without  potentially offensive images, we *must* err on the side of
> caution and  provide a link. It's the same as not directly linking to
> Goatse but  giving users' an option to visit the site if they *really*
> want to. Why  should this be any different? Is not directly linking to
> Goatse  attempting to control how you see the world?
>
I still think you're grossly mischaracterizing the inline option. 
Inlining does not force the browser to download the image, or to display
it even if it does.  The browser issues a HTTP GET and obtains the HTML of
a page and renders that page.  This may or may not involve the browser
issuing more HTTP GETs in order to obtain the binary of the images
referred to in IMG tags embedded in the HTML.  It's entirely under the
control of the browser and thus, subject to browser design and selection,
under the control of the user.
So users *already* have the option of downloading only those images that
they want to see.  In the worst case they can run lynx in a cmd window
(Windows) or xterm (MacOS, BSD, Linux).
In addition, users can control their stylesheets (either by the on-site
override or using their browser controls) and use this to suppress image
display.
You may say "until", I say that what you propose is available to our users
*now*.
"Oh but it's too complicated", I hear you say. "Our users are Moms and
Dads, not geeks."  Well people will say precisely the same thing when you
have your on-site image controls.  Even a straightforward "reload without
images" button on the top nav will be too complicated for some people; as
for selecting whether they want to see objectionable images or not, it
will have to be hidden away in some page in special: and it will be every
bit as hideous as anything in the much maligned Internet Exploder.  What's
more, its behavior will change over time, probably at a fairly rapid rate
as category hierarchies are changed and the feature evolves.