CTG rules: MobileOptimized

I would like to make sure that an issue that was discussed earlier, but that was in
my opinion not dealt with satisfactorily: the possible mandatory rule for the meta
tag "mobileoptimized". 

DESCRIPTION

A Microsoft-specific meta-tag identifies the page as optimized for Mobile Internet
Explorer:

	<meta name="MobileOptimized" content="NNN">

where NNN is a number of pixels corresponding to a screen width.

The explanation from Microsoft:

	"When the MOBILEOPTIMIZED meta tag is set Internet Explorer Mobile does not
	modify the layout at all for the page containing the meta tag.
	With the meta tag, the screen width, minus margins, and scrollbars, is used
	to determine the width for rendering with fit-to-screen off.
	[...]
	In the tag, the nominal width is a number that indicates what screen size
	the Web site was developed for. If this size is less than or equal to the
	screen width, fit-to-screen will be turned off. If it is larger, 
	fit-to-screen will remain on."


PROPOSAL

I propose to take up the presence of the meta-tag MobileOptimized as an unambiguous,
conclusive indication of mobile-optimized content in the mandatory rules of the CTG 
regarding avoidance of content transformation.


ARGUMENTS

1) MobileOptimized has a particular relevance, since it is a rare unambiguous rule 
that serves to distinguish HTML intended for mobile devices from generic desktop 
HTML. This is particularly important for PDA, which are intended to access HTML
content in the first place.

2) The meta-tag MobileOptimized is well-established, having been present since
version 5.0 of Windows Mobile and the 2nd edition 2003 of Windows Mobile Smartphone.

3) An argument advanced to reject this rule is that Mobile-IE has had scant success
in the mobile Web. After checking a bit for figures, I do not share this view -- the
market share of Mobile-IE is at least comparable to the one of the iPhone (both 
of them being of course marginal in the overall mobile market), and it runs on many
different device models.

And if we are to select rules on the basis of market success, then a mention of 
mobileOK, which will not have any measurable success for some time, is inadmissible 
as well.


E.Casais

Received on Monday, 11 May 2009 11:33:20 UTC