- From: Kasday, Leonard R (Len), ALTEC <kasday@att.com>
- Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 14:12:27 -0500
- To: "'w3c-wai-gl@w3.org'" <w3c-wai-gl@w3.org>
>> The fact that Netscape Navigator doesn't display the ALT text when a image >> HEIGHT and WIDTH are too small is a limitation of Navigator. Text browsers >> and Internet Explorer (and it's derivatives) do not have this limitation. LRK:: MSIE with AA has done an admirable job overcoming this glitch. Plus, browsers like lynx never had it. However, I believe that when you run Explorer version 3.02 without AA it has this limitation (albeit it goes to smaller heights). Thats what people with this older version, and people who simply have images off, run. Furthermore, just as web sites seek to accommodate sighted people who don't have the optimal and latest software, we should do the same for people who rely on screen readers. And whether or not we "should" do this from a moral or legal point of view, it's just plain good business sense for a site to make it's customers happy, and maximize their use of the site even for people who don't always have the latest stuff. >> >> No guidelines should recommend to authors that they specify minimum HEIGHT= >> and WIDTH= attributes, since the radically affects page layout. > LRK:: It's not true that this must radically affect page layout. Typically this glitch occurs for things like horizontal lines for which aesthetically there's a few pixels above and below anyway. Adding a transparent border gets around glitch with no affect at all on appearance. Where it is sometimes a problem is the width requirement. If you use this for a bullet with no space in front or behind it's a problem. If the bullet is indented you can add transparent border on left, which actually simplifies the HTML since it eliminates the need for a spacer image. Since it can at times be a problem, not mandatory, it's just suggested, in the AT&T ALT text guidelines. Len. All opinions expressed here are my own, not necessarily those of my employer. ============================================================= kasday@att.com phone 732 949 2693 Leonard R. Kasday Room 1J-316A AT&T Laboratories 101 Crawfords Corner Rd. Holmdel NJ 07733
Received on Wednesday, 11 February 1998 14:13:25 UTC