Re: Working Group Decision on ISSUE-31 / ISSUE-80 validation survey

Aryeh Gregor, Thu, 21 Apr 2011 19:19:45 -0400:

> The current HTML5 spec says we should either use an empty string or
> just omit the alt attribute,

A) You don't describe HTML5 properly.
B) You don't describe the Wikipedia use case properly.

A) Ignoring the generator exception, HTML5 says that when a img is the 
sole content of a link, the alt text should be authored to be useful as 
a link text. This is also the Wikipedia use case that you have showed 
us.

B) Clearly, for Wikipedia, where photos and images are used and reused 
in certain specific ways, you must EITHER ask your users to provide 
@alt text that is useful as link text when the image is the sole 
content of a link. OR you, the developers must take care of providing 
the link text.  (The simplest thing should be to wrap the link around 
the BOTH the img element (with the empty @alt) AND then caption for the 
image - then there would be a useful link text, and everyone would be 
happy.)
-- 
Leif Halvard Silli

Received on Friday, 22 April 2011 00:04:15 UTC