Action item: Use of checkpoint 11.1 as umbrella

Hello,

In January (minutes [1]) I received an action item
about a proposal I sent to the WG last summer [2].
My apologies for the delays, but here is the reproposal.

Issue: It is not clear in WCAG 1.0 that authors do not
       need to use language features that are not 
       supported by user agents.

Proposal:

Add the following clarification to the list of errata
and the techniques document:

   <BLOCKQUOTE>
    It is not clear in WCAG 1.0 that authors are not
    required to use markup language or style sheet
    language features that are not supported by user agents.   
    Checkpoint 11.1 only requires authors to use technologies 
    that are available and appropriate. If user agents do not 
    support a particular feature it is not "available" and
    therefore authors are not required to use it.
    Furthermore, checkpoints that require the use of that
    feature do not apply until there is user agent support
    for that feature.

    This clarification affects (at least) the
    following checkpoints:

       3.1, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 3.7, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 5.1, 
       5.2, 5.5., 5.6, 6.4, 9.1, 9.3, 9.4, 9.5, 12.1, 12.4, 
       and 13.2.

     NOTE for Checkpoint 3.3: 
       Where HTML style attributes or elements overlap with
       CSS properties, authors may use the HTML style
       attributes in addition to the CSS properties.
       Refer to section 6.4.4 of the CSS2 Recommendation
       for more information about precedence in this case.
  </BLOCKQUOTE>

In a new WCAG document, we might want to introduce
the notion of "applicable checkpoint", used in UAAG
(but not in ATAG).

 - Ian

[1] http://www.w3.org/WAI/GL/meetings/20000120.html
[2] http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/w3c-wai-gl/1999JulSep/0183.html
-- 
Ian Jacobs (jacobs@w3.org)   http://www.w3.org/People/Jacobs
Tel:                         +1 831 457-2842
Cell:                        +1 917 450-8783

Received on Wednesday, 5 April 2000 13:15:21 UTC