Re: Propose removing "An image in an e-mail or document intended for a specific person who is known to be able to view images" from the HTML5 spec.

On 12 Apr 2008, at 4:00 PM, Ian Hickson wrote:
>
> On Sat, 12 Apr 2008, Steven Faulkner wrote:
>>
>> The part in the HTML 5 spec (see below). about it being OK to  
>> leave the
>> alt off if you are sending an email to someone who is known to view
>> images, is unecessary and just a variation on the "disabled people  
>> don't
>> use my web site, so I don't need to make it accessible" argument. It
>> adds nothing of use to the spec apart from providing another dubious
>> reason to omit the alt attribute.
>>
>> I propose it is removed.
>
> So say that my partner e-mails me personally an e-mail that contains a
> diagram of our new apartment's floor layout.
>
> What possible benefit is there to making that e-mail non-conforming?
> (There's no way that my partner will describe the image textually, I
> assure you.)

Occam's razor.  There's no benefit to putting in a special rule to
make it conforming.

In the PFWG charter, it's called 'small footprint'

http://www.w3.org/WAI/PF/charter200612#Scope

In the HTML Design Principles it's called "Solve Real Problems."

http://www.w3.org/html/wg/html5/principles/#utility

Also, under "Priority of Constituencies" the exception is not
justified.  There is no user problem for you if the page is non- 
conforming.
That's the precedent set by how the browsers process HTML now.
So don't fix a non-problem.  Making such a special rule is
"proposing changes for theoretical reasons alone."

The HTML *specification* should be about the markup.  This rule
digresses too far into business-process issues.  There is no
good reason to clutter the specification with such off-topic assertions.

Al

> -- 
> Ian Hickson               U+1047E                ) 
> \._.,--....,'``.    fL
> http://ln.hixie.ch/       U+263A                /,   _.. \   _ 
> \  ;`._ ,.
> Things that are impossible just take longer.   `._.-(,_..'-- 
> (,_..'`-.;.'
>

Received on Sunday, 13 April 2008 15:02:34 UTC