[Bug 10708] New: change normative alt text authoring requirements to informative advice

http://www.w3.org/Bugs/Public/show_bug.cgi?id=10708

           Summary: change normative alt text authoring requirements to
                    informative advice
           Product: HTML WG
           Version: unspecified
          Platform: PC
        OS/Version: Windows NT
            Status: NEW
          Severity: normal
          Priority: P2
         Component: HTML5 spec (editor: Ian Hickson)
        AssignedTo: ian@hixie.ch
        ReportedBy: faulkner.steve@gmail.com
         QAContact: public-html-bugzilla@w3.org
                CC: mike@w3.org, public-html-wg-issue-tracking@w3.org,
                    public-html@w3.org


The spec curently contains non-machine testable normative authoring
requirements for use of the alt attribute on images. There is no consensus on
these requirements or indeed if they should be normative requirements rather
than informative guidance. Casting them in terms of requirements provides no
advantage to either the author or the end user. The rigidity of the
requirements does not take into account varied use cases and what the user
groups who benefit from text alternatives may want.

A starting point for improving the current spec text would be to replace all
normative 'must's with 'should's in the section
4.8.1.1 Requirements for providing text to act as an alternative for images
http://dev.w3.org/html5/spec/embedded-content-1.html#alt

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Received on Thursday, 23 September 2010 18:27:07 UTC