No one doubts that there are too many fat pages out there. But designing to minimize graphics is only part of the solution. There are important uses of graphics, occasions when graphics not only can speed comprehension, but may boost recall.
For now in the eyes of the engineers, writing is tops. But I wonder what happens when the web becomes a medium in its own right? That is, might the concerns of good technical writing become less important when the web comes into its own as a source of news, of entertainment?
Do we browse the web for information pure and simple? Or is that just part of the picture?