Comments on: fullscreen API coming to browsers near you?

By: convivialdingo

convivialdingo — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 05:41:47 +0000

The solution, security wise, is quite simple. The browser should simple filter all keyboard input except for escape and space. Additionally a faded popover should inform the user of entering fullscreen, the same as flash.

There would be no ability to type in a password.

By: AMIGrAve

AMIGrAve — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 09:09:41 +0000

Fullscreen API would be wonderful. Personally I’ve been waiting for a kind of kiosk mode standard in browsers but it seems it’s not going to happen. Fullscreen API would is a necessity, even if annoyance avoidance is tough.

By: Figaro

Figaro — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 02:06:14 +0000

Why not follow what the spec says (read octavem’s post): let the user-agent (the browser) provide the fullscreen capability. First the user clicks a button on the video players controls that sets the video element’s to the size of the viewport, and the viewports overflow property is set to hidden. Then the user presses F11, to enter fullscreen browsing mode. The second step could be done first, it doesn’t really matter. If you’re on a site like YouTube, you could remain in fullscreen browsing mode while navigating to other videos.

But this would require the user to not only click the fullscreen button on the video element’s player controls, but then would have to press F11. At least there wouldn’t be a need for the user to be prompted to go to fullscreen mode. However one could argue which is worse, a prompt or a two-step process?

I think that the Web platform should be unobtrusive to the user to begin with (ala Google Chrome). However there will be times when an application, such as a video game, would require the users entire screen. So maybe a fullscreen standard should be taken into consideration.

By: pmontrasio

pmontrasio — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 09:59:33 +0000

Hitting F11 doesn’t fullscreen the video player. It fullscreens the whole page, which is a different thing. Try F11 on youtube (even the HTML5 version) to appreciate the difference.

By: grayrest

grayrest — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 07:43:06 +0000

Is hitting F11 really that difficult?

By: hdragomir

hdragomir — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 02:34:17 +0000

A fullscreen API is a must if we’re to replace Flash video players with native, browser video players.

As long as we can only go into fullscreen mode based on some user input ( a click or keystroke ) we should be fine.

By: cyrusomar

cyrusomar — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 23:31:17 +0000

We keep hitting this problem in browsers. We need to stop coming down on the side of always disallowing behaviors if we want the web platform to be used for real applications.

A simple “This website is requesting to use the full screen. Would you like to allow this?” [Yes/No/Always for youtube.com] is the correct solution for this and any other case where there is potential for abuse of a new capability.

By: abhijitn

abhijitn — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 17:51:54 +0000

I don’t know about ‘make any element in a page display fullscreen’, but in Opera, if I go full screen, the page actually takes up the entire screen; no tabs, no menus, nothing.

By: kadams54

kadams54 — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 16:41:07 +0000

I’ll second the “if HTML5 video is going to compete with Flash” sentiment, though I’d extend fullscreen mode’s usefulness to Canvas as well. Fullscreen Flash is most useful for games and videos, i.e., Canvas and .

Having a confirmation dialog (“Do you want to allow this site to use your full screen?”) reeks of Windows’ UAC. Any security restrictions need to be transparent to the user.

By: JonathanLeech

JonathanLeech — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 16:28:51 +0000

It would be funny if something like this forced Safari to support full screen browsing.

By: SteveElbows

SteveElbows — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 16:19:44 +0000

Well fullscreen video capability is probably a must if html5 video is to compete effectively with flash, but beyond that Im not so sure – ok probably webGL also needs a fullscreen capability.

By: IEUCActual

IEUCActual — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 15:48:30 +0000

I think a bottom left corner icon would be a good visual cue, also I think tasteful alternate CSS Cursors applied with User Style Sheet priority would be a good idea. Then we could have text input enabled with a custom cursor that would let End Users see they were interacting with a full screen web page generated dialog. The custom cursors would need to be recognizable across platforms (in case the full screen application was deployed to drive information kiosks running heterogeneous configurations) and could consist of the standard cursors combined with an asterisk or some other platform independent annotation mark.

By: anjanb

anjanb — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 15:36:30 +0000

hi there,

would love a FULL SCREEN API. cool.

BR,
~A

By: Joeri

Joeri — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 15:28:57 +0000

An important aspect of full-screen mode in flash is that users can’t enter text while they are in full-screen mode, so evil sites won’t trick them into entering their password. If you take away the ability of entering text (and really, you should), aside from video there’s simple not much use to full-screen mode.

By: jnbdz

jnbdz — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 14:26:33 +0000

I think that the browser should ask permission to the user, to use full screen.

EX:

Do you want to have this site use your full screen.

(Yes) (No) (I don’t know)

And you get the full screen you get something like in flash that says you only need to click on esc on your keyboard to get ride of the full screen.

We could also see in the corner of the screen a small icon that shows that your full screen. And it would be impossible to remove or to hide.

Does are my solutions to the security problem.

By: RoryH

RoryH — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 13:56:42 +0000

Just use the same model as Flash where the fullScreen event can only be activated via a user click event… NEVER allow full screen adhoc from the code.

By: gossi

gossi — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 13:48:35 +0000

I would love to have the option giving Fullscreen-Mode to a specific element, keep going :)

By: WillPeavy

WillPeavy — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 13:35:43 +0000

Would be a nice feature if used responsibly, but it seems there is a lot of potential for misuse. HTML 5 could become a world of full-screen pop-up ads.