Safari needs a mute button
Nov 16, 02:13
I find it rather rude that web sites (or their designers I suppose) think that I really want to listen to their silly background music. There is an unwritten law of web design (well, I think there ought to be one) that states a designer should never, ever assume a user wants something done in any non-standard way. Other examples include opening a link in a new window by default, or resizing, moving, or otherwise altering a browser window via JavaScript.
These are the type of things that prompt me to never return to a site. Recently I have encountered a rash of sites that use music that, while not really bad, sounds horrid when played over whatever I am already listening to. I like to browse in a sonically elevated state; background music is a constant at my desk. And unfortunately it usually mixes poorly with the standard website soundtrack fare.
And so I suggest that what web browsers need are volume controls.