Like all new technologies, client-side imagemaps have both up's and down's. However, as you can see, the UP's greatly out-number the DOWN's
UP's
1. Client-side imagemaps are much faster than server based maps because it greatly reduces the needed client/server interaction and the subsequent internet transfer time.
2. It makes your site more interactice, as the browser can see where they are going before clicking on a link.
3. Like Java and frames, client-side imagemaps are still in their infant stage. However, the new imagemap format is catching on much quicker than the other two and already thousands of sites on the web use them. Join the club!! Gain respect of peers ;-)
4. They are much easier on the web-developer because they can be tested on your local machine, vs. server-based ISMAP's which must be uploaded first.
5. Prevent internet slow-down: CONSERVE BANDWIDTH!!!
DOWN's
1. There is really only one down side to client-side imagemaps: as of right now, only Netscape 2.0+ and Microsoft Internet Explorer 2.0+ can use them. But honestly people, if you're not using one of these two browsers, than you're not really *using* the World Wide Web. Enough said -- get a real browser.
