Re: Discussion: Text Alternative Survey

On Fri, 23 Apr 2010, Laura Carlson wrote:
> 
> The title attribute is not up to the job of providing a text
> alternative. It's content is not displayed to the user unless they can
> use a mouse and beforehand know that the content is there.

The whole point of using it in this case is that the AT would use it as a 
source of caption information, so that isn't accurate in HTML5 UAs and ATs.


> The content of the image title attribute is also often not detected by 
> AT by default unless the user makes an explicit choice in their 
> preferences to announce the attribute contents.

The spec proposes to change this. We can't avoid speccing things that 
aren't implemented yet; we'd never add anything new!


> The set of options listed in the suggested text section of this
> proposal uses semantic HTML that is up to the job.

As I understand it the only proposed non-ARIA solution is <figcaption>, 
which is supported even less by ATs than title="".


> Authors are advised to only use the title attribute for "additional
> information" and not as a full equivalent alternative.

The spec doesn't suggest using it as a full equivalent alternative.


> Removing title would make the HTML specification in line with WCAG, and 
> previous authoring practices. http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20-TECHS/H33.html

WCAG's recommendations are based on HTML4; the whole point here is to move 
forward. WCAG will need updating for HTML5.

-- 
Ian Hickson               U+1047E                )\._.,--....,'``.    fL
http://ln.hixie.ch/       U+263A                /,   _.. \   _\  ;`._ ,.
Things that are impossible just take longer.   `._.-(,_..'--(,_..'`-.;.'

Received on Saturday, 24 April 2010 04:26:31 UTC