Re: Images and alternative text

Ian Hickson wrote:
> On Thu, 7 Aug 2008, Philip Taylor wrote:
>>   <img src="..." alt="{x \over y} = {1 \over {y \over x}}">
> 
....
>    <img src="..." alt="The fraction x over y is equal to 1 divided by the 
>    fraction y over x.">

I'm not sure how things would work when listening (not much experience 
trying to listen to even moderately complicated math unaccompanied by 
visual representation here, and I suspect both approaches Really Suck 
for anything complicated, if only because working memory fills up), but 
if I were browsing in lynx I'd definitely prefer the former to the
latter.

Of course the real question here is target audience.  If this is a 
general-population-targeted document, with presumably simple equations, 
then the second alternative is better.  If the document is targeted at a 
more technical audience, and as the equation complexity increases, the 
first option becomes more and more readable compared to the second one.

-Boris