- From: Anne Pemberton <apembert@crosslink.net>
- Date: Wed, 14 Jul 1999 15:11:24 -0400
- To: Web Content Accessibility Guidelines <w3c-wai-gl@w3.org>
At 08:27 PM 7/14/1999 +0100, Alan J. Flavell wrote: >Where it _does_ risk causing harm is in browsers like MSIE3, where the >CSS is misinterpreted and can cause serious damage. Whether this is >an issue that ought to be allowed to hamper the issue of web >accessibility is something that could be argued over a beer, but in >any formal negotiation I'd say the accessibility has to win. We >should not pander to those who choose to operate broken software >(CSS support can and should be turned off by the user in MSIE3). If I may butt into this discussion, it seems to me that if something "causes harm", causes the browser to lock up, or worse, the computer to lock up, it shouldn't be used. Especially if you are talking about that percentage of users who use MSIE (any version). For myself, any time I hit a site that locks up my browser and/or system, the site is not revised. No matter what I was looking for there, it is sure to be elsewhere on the web. If style sheets are not properly supported in the major browsers, why are they considered so important? Sounds like they are accessible with some browsers, but not with all thereby rendering the pages with style sheets inaccessible to the users of those browsers. How does that promote accessibility? If, as you say, web designers aren't going in the direction of style sheets, but in the direction of other means of designing a page, perhaps it would be better to follow the web designers and develop the means to make pages accessible using WYSIWYG or whatever preferred software the web authors are cozying up to. It would be better to aid the web designers by encouraging the WYSIWYG products include accessibility features with built-in prompts and automation. In my experience: The job goes smoother when the workman selects his own tools. My two cents worth .... Anne Anne L. Pemberton http://www.pen.k12.va.us/Pav/Academy1 http://www.erols.com/stevepem/apembert apembert@crosslink.net Enabling Support Foundation http://www.enabling.org
Received on Wednesday, 14 July 1999 16:41:35 UTC