ISSUE-130 (table-layout): allow tables to be used for layout purposes [HTML 5 spec]

ISSUE-130 (table-layout): allow tables to be used for layout purposes [HTML 5 spec]

http://www.w3.org/html/wg/tracker/issues/130

Raised by: Richard Schwerdtfeger
On product: HTML 5 spec

escalated from Bug 10963 -Table prohibited from being used as a layout aid 
http://www.w3.org/Bugs/Public/show_bug.cgi?id=10963

I am not satisfied with the this being closed, with a won't fix, because it was
in HTML 4. You cannot, with complete certainty, test that a table is being used
for layout and so much of the web uses tables for layout to ensure fidelity
across browsers. The entire Dojo library, gmail, and millions of other
applications would be non-compliant per this outdated assertion. We now have a
vehicle to state whether tables are used for layouts. Web applications also
have the ability to determine the device they are delivering to and can
compensate their rendering based on the device. 

Also, the point in HTML 4 about having to perform horizontal scrolling would be
the case if you had a table that was used as an actual table. 

>From an accessibility perspective, the author has the ability to declare that a
table is being used for presentation. I see no point in including this
directive in HTML anymore as clearly the industry pays little or no attention
to this requirement.

I would close that longdesc was in HTML 5 too yet people are attempting to
remove it from the spec for not being used. Yet here, we have a clear case
where tables are used extensively for layout and Ian does not want to remove
it. The argument has no logical basis and is inconsistent with how developers
create web applications today.

Received on Tuesday, 12 October 2010 15:11:05 UTC