For the past year, I've been hosting a Web site that uses frames, and I've come to a couple of realizations. Used properly, frames can be a useful tool for simplifying Web site navigation, and they can bring about a whole new experience for the viewer. I actually find frames to be quite useful, so I wonder why others just don't like them.
Frames can be great.
You can create a part of the screen for the viewer that never changes, which might contain a menu or icons that will take them to other pages within the site. Then, I'll provide a frame alternative in order for you to understand what you should do when creating a framed site, and how you can achieve it. It can be viewed in all of its glory, or it can be viewed in its non-framed version without changing much of the functionality or appearance of the site. When you use frames, you're always playing to a limited audience, because the only browsers capable of displaying them are Netscape Navigator 2.0 and above, and Internet Explorer 2.0 and above. Using a non-framed version of a site in conjunction with the framed version lets the viewer decide which they prefer.