Re: web standards project article

On Thu, 28 Oct 2004 14:34:55 +0100, Ant Tears wrote:

I think that Molly's article is extremely interesting and insightful
for anyone who's looking into web standards and wants to get a deeper
understanding of the subject, without actually being a champion or a
world-renowned expert (which includes most people and definitely
myself)...

Most certainly, this is the audience she must have had in mind when
she wrote it - I would even go as far as to say this is generally the
audience the WaSP addresses to most of the time. Without a doubt,
anyone who's deep enough into this subject can, for instance, make the
difference between compliance to HTML and HTML semantics, separate the
two and clearly understand that while one is crucial, the other one is
nothing more than a best practice (crucially important if you ask me,
but not a standard in itself).

However, most people I discuss with generally mix these notions up.
For them, a document that tags it's page title with a CSS-styled
paragraph is not as compliant wih the W3C than another one that uses a
CS-styled h1 - which is absolute bull. While both can be perfectly
vaid, the second will also be semantically richer... of a better
quality if anything.

Thses are the type of toughts Molly's articles should bring to
people's heads. What we may need is a document that debunks these
myths... and as you either know or guess, there are many. ;)

> there is a need to educate web designers as to best practice and its
> benefits; there is also a need to provide web designers with a business case
> for using "best practice".  As a web designer who wants to move a product from 
> old style to semantic markup, I am going to need a solid business case. Backing 
> from the W3C in the form of a readable "best practice" document might cement that 
> business case. 

MACCAWS (http://www.maccaws.org/kit/way-forward/) has already put
together a good document that roughly covers this. At least, this is
how it's presented or perceived. What may be needed is a second round
on that document to push it a little further and make it most
"accessible" to decision-makers and designers... to move it from the
realm of  the technically-inclined to a more layman, business-oriented
stand point.

-- 
Denis Boudreau
www.cybercodeur.net | www.w3qc.org | www.opquast.com

Received on Thursday, 28 October 2004 18:06:57 UTC