Re: TIDY - Objects to euro symbol (?) & very pedestrian about ALT for gifs

A doomed defense against a war of the worlds, no less:

>>First, I can't see how alt="" can be an improvement
>>over no alt at all.

>The browser lynx will provide [IMAGE] alt text for
>images which lack alt text, and [LINK] when they
>are wrapped in anchors, which will get in the way of
>screen readers, so even empty alt attributes have a
>purpose.

OK, I'm with you so far (I think).

>>I'd suggest having Tidy add alt="" to any alt-less
>>image

[-- and later have Joe Q User change these]

>For images that actually serve a purpose (linked
>images), this would be worse than nothing as it would
>make those links unnavigable by standard
>configurations of lynx.

Um, now I'm lost.

Aside from that, I'd temporarily forgotten that the alt attribute was
required by HTML 4 and above; and I cheerfully admit to having never
done more than glanced at any DTD.  (OK, lock me in the stocks and pelt
me with eggs and rotten tomatos.)

>>Secondly, I thought these single-byte GIFfies were often
>>used in stretched form. If so, height and width could be
>>considerable.

>Single-pixel.  And the file sizes for these have been
>known to be under 50 bytes, but it is impossible for a GIF
>to have a file length of one byte.

Yes, of course, I knew that.  Just a typo.  Alzheimer strikes again,
sorry.

>>(Perhaps this is what Tidy already does; I don't know,
>>because adding alt="explanation" to my graphics is one of
>>the few things I manage to do consistently and competently
>>without Tidy's help.)

>I hesitate to ask, but you do know that alt texts are for
>alternative text to be displayed only when the image is not
>displayed, and not an "explanation" (and not as tooltip text),
>right?

Yup, I know that (even though MS and Netscape seem not to); "explanation"
was my shorthand for this. Anyway, I don't mean a caption, which, browser
permitting, can I think be achieved with "title":

<img src="img/msie.gif" alt="MS Internet Explorer"
title="shameful attempt to earn money from you, dear reader" height=
[etc etc]>

++++++++++++++++
Peter Evans mailto:evans@i.hosei.ac.jp

Received on Sunday, 30 April 2000 01:30:31 UTC