[Bug 22187] New: Replace the “description” with “independent description”

https://www.w3.org/Bugs/Public/show_bug.cgi?id=22187

            Bug ID: 22187
           Summary: Replace the “description” with “independent
                    description”
    Classification: Unclassified
           Product: HTML WG
           Version: unspecified
          Hardware: All
               URL: https://dvcs.w3.org/hg/html-proposals/raw-file/default
                    /longdesc1/longdesc.html#longdesc
                OS: All
            Status: NEW
          Keywords: a11y, a11y_text-alt
          Severity: enhancement
          Priority: P2
         Component: HTML Image Description Extension
          Assignee: chaals@yandex-team.ru
          Reporter: xn--mlform-iua@xn--mlform-iua.no
        QA Contact: public-html-bugzilla@w3.org
                CC: faulkner.steve@gmail.com, public-html-admin@w3.org,
                    xn--mlform-iua@xn--mlform-iua.no

Created attachment 1364
  --> https://www.w3.org/Bugs/Public/attachment.cgi?id=1364&action=edit
Demoing the proposed changes to the spec text.

PROPOSAL:

1) In the current title of the specification:
       (“HTML5 Image Description Extension”)
   Add the word “independent”, like so:
       ”HTML5 Independent Image Descriptions Extension”

2) In the body of the specification:
   Delete the 5 occurences of the word ”long”

3) In the body of the specification:
   Add the word “independent” in front of each occurence 
   of the word “description”

To see the suggested changes in practise, I have edited the current editors
draft and added in the proposed changes with the help of <ins>, <del> and
<mark>..

   BACKGROUND:

In his first comment in Chromium bug-224285, Vlad Alexander indicates that the
wording “long description” instills in users/authors that the difference
between @alt and @longdesc is one of “short description” versus “long
description”.

On the background that alt text really is ‘alternative text’/‘text
alternative’, he suggests that the *real* dichotomy should be seen as
“replacement text” versus simply “description”. 

   PROBLEM:

I strongly agree with Vlad in how he contrasts @longdesc to @alt. However, to
simply replace “long description” with simply “description”, quote: [1]

]]
   easily sends the, IMHO confusing message, that unless one opens the longdesc
URL, one hasn’t received a description of the image. 

My proposal is ”independent description”:

    “Open an independent description of this image”.

Justification:

 1. “independent description” contrasts with “replacement text and thus sends
the message that “if the contextually adapted replacement text/@alt text wasn’t
enough, then please check the independent description, where the current text
flow hasn’t dictated the shape of the content“. 

 2. “independent description” vaguely hints that the menu would open (and
@longdesc would contain) a URL (since URLs as independent resources is an
association that I believe many share). Thus, “independent description” would
instill in both users and authors adequate expectations about what @longdesc
should contain and about what happens if one opens it. 
[[


[1] https://code.google.com/p/chromium/issues/detail?id=224285#c10

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Received on Wednesday, 29 May 2013 02:05:19 UTC