one click will prevent people in the next room from being irritated? What kind of set up does theoretical Grandpa have? How irratable is theoretical Grandma? Mute (F3 on my computer) is not hard to find - I have in fact used it after checking the new site for my youngest brother's band, which autoplays thrash (and has all the buttons you prefer.)

I think you'll find that we agree more than disagree. You said "unless they are part of a design that lets the user know, before he clicks on a link, that music will auto-play -- and if you can't implement a "mute" link that's easy to find, don't do it at all." I said "I have pages linked to other sites, navigable only from those sites, to diplay a short clip. The link is clearly marked." I assumed that most people can find their mute key. You assumed most people have a kicking sound system left at high volume. Perhaps we both assume too much.

My pages do not auto play, yet. But take heart, we are strangers, and you will probably never be subjected to my mother-in-law's wedding music box or my daughter's giggle. More importantly, and in all seriousness, I do take into consideration the opinions of others. I will think twice before autoplaying.