I love to see people taking things to the limit and would never harshly criticize or discourage someone from doing something like this but there's a big but coming...
But whenever you do something like this you have to be sure to test it on enough browsers and devices to be sure the vast majority of your audience won't be left with a bad taste in their mouth. Either that testing didn't happen or it was decided that the negatives were worth it in this case. The experience isn't good on iOS (iPhone and iPad) and just a little better in non-Webkit browsers. The scrolling is the big problem. It's okay for a minute but soon it's annoyance become more and more prominent in your mind.
Anyway, this is really really awesome! Having the js backup was good thinking. I hope it works out for the site. It's not something I'd use on a site with an audience that was really important to me but not everyone has the same priorities. In any case, besides the practical considerations, the effect itself is very impressive. Kudos.
Right! I'd feel the same about my personal site. See, I'm not familiar with the author so I'm not sure if it's appropriate. I think you have a point but if you have a personal site that's highly trafficked and popular then this might be a bad idea. I could do something nuts like this but imagine if PG did this to his site. I don't think he would. That's the kind of thing I'm getting at.
But whenever you do something like this you have to be sure to test it on enough browsers and devices to be sure the vast majority of your audience won't be left with a bad taste in their mouth. Either that testing didn't happen or it was decided that the negatives were worth it in this case. The experience isn't good on iOS (iPhone and iPad) and just a little better in non-Webkit browsers. The scrolling is the big problem. It's okay for a minute but soon it's annoyance become more and more prominent in your mind.
Anyway, this is really really awesome! Having the js backup was good thinking. I hope it works out for the site. It's not something I'd use on a site with an audience that was really important to me but not everyone has the same priorities. In any case, besides the practical considerations, the effect itself is very impressive. Kudos.