Is using bgsound a bad idea

[AAaron123]

I'm looking for a simple way to include backgroung music.

Googling the only really simple thing I found was bgsound.



Is using that a bad idea?



Cal

 

[AAaron123]

Yes, how do you know I want your sound playing when I load your web page?

I tend to have music playing when I work, and if there's one thing
guaranteed to annoy me it's when web pages play other music when they
load. I'm not alone in this either ;-)

What exactly are you trying to do? Do you have some genuine reason for
wanting to play a sound?

What I was wondering is using bgsound is a good way to do it.
I think I can be reasonable as to when or if to use it.

Maybe I'll ask first )


Thanks

 

[AAaron123]

Good thought!

As with Alan, if I visit a website and it starts playing a background
sound, I will generally leave it immediately and never return...

Me too. Does not apply here.

What I was wondering is using bgsound is a good way to do it.

 

[Guest]

I'm looking for a simple way to include backgroung music.

Googling the only really simple thing I found was bgsound.

Is using that a bad idea?

Cal

It's a matter of taste but I find it bad

 

[AAaron123]

I'm looking for a simple way to include backgroung music.

Googling the only really simple thing I found was bgsound.



Is using that a bad idea?



Cal

I didn't express my self well.

I don't plan on having background music that starts by itself.

Rather, a special music that one might be interested in hearing sometimes.
Maybe only once.

What I really wanted to ask is:

Is bgsound a good way to play music in the modern browsers?

I'm not even sure that modern browser even support it.

If it is not what is the better way?

Of course, I like bgsound because of its simplicity.


Thanks for the replies!

 

[Gregory A. Beamer]

I'm looking for a simple way to include backgroung music.

Googling the only really simple thing I found was bgsound.



Is using that a bad idea?

Yes, because the user that does not want the sound has no option to turn it
off. There are other ways to embed sound that give the user the option to
turn it off if they don't want it. If you do put in background noise, it is
also polite to make it easy to find the sound off bits.

One exception to the sound rule is if you have multimedia content, but then
the user has already chosen the content, which means they want the sound.

 

[AAaron123]

I played with bgsound about a year ago in IE7 and found I could turn it on
and off by something like this:

<input type="button" onclick="document.all['bgsound_ctrl'].src=''"
value="OFF" />

<input type="button" onclick="a
document.all['bgsound_ctrl'].src='whataworld.mid" value="ON" />

<bgsound id="bgsound_ctrl" src="whataworld.mid" loop="0" autostart="true" >



I'm trying now and can't get it to play at all in IE8.



I'm very wary of what I find on the internet because much is outdate but
looks as good as the recent stuff.

Does bgsound only work on IE?

I'd like it to be initially off but tried autostart="true" just to see if I
can get it to work.

Do I need to learn Flash or something like that to play a simple sound
file?

I rather not have anything visible on the screen except the button to play
it and maybe one to stop it (and possibly a volume control, though I think
most have a volume control already available)

Thanks

 

[Gregory A. Beamer]

I played with bgsound about a year ago in IE7 and found I could turn
it on and off by something like this:

<input type="button" onclick="document.all['bgsound_ctrl'].src=''"
value="OFF" />

<input type="button" onclick="a
document.all['bgsound_ctrl'].src='whataworld.mid" value="ON" />

<bgsound id="bgsound_ctrl" src="whataworld.mid" loop="0"
autostart="true" >



I'm trying now and can't get it to play at all in IE8.

BGSOUND is not available in IE8 in normal IE8 mode. It can be done in
compatibility mode, however.

I'm very wary of what I find on the internet because much is outdate
but looks as good as the recent stuff.

Does bgsound only work on IE?

yes.


I'd like it to be initially off but tried autostart="true" just to see
if I can get it to work.

Do I need to learn Flash or something like that to play a simple
sound file?

There are other objects you can embed, like the Windows Media bits,
which are supported in other browsers. Flash is a good option, however,
as it has the widest adoption.

I rather not have anything visible on the screen except the button to
play it and maybe one to stop it (and possibly a volume control,
though I think most have a volume control already available)

Even with things like Windows Media player embedding, you can specify
what to show to the user.

 

[Gregory A. Beamer]

I use this exclusively: http://wimpyplayer.com/

I just say no to embedding music. LOL ;-)

 

[AAaron123]

Thanks to you both for the help.

Me too, but giving the user the option to play music if they want to is
perfectly acceptable, IMO, e.g.
http://www.sanctuaryrig.co.uk/discography/khnosti.aspx

The Wimpy player can be configured to play a sound file automatically, but
I never do that...