Old browsers...

Old browsers make up a significant proportion of the market. As far as I 
know there is NO HTML 4.0 compliant browser available, and Microsoft (whom 
I believe are closest with IE4) are not expecting one for some months to 
come.

But people are reading the guidelines now, because they are trying to do 
what WAI wants - make their material accessible. For some time to come 
HTML 4.0 based guidelines will leave the people who are trying to use the 
web in the cold. If this is the limit of our effort then we are 
effectively preaching accessibility some time in the future. Given that 
tere are workable solutions for the present, which will continue to work 
in the future (although better solutions will become available), I would 
feel that saying 'You need and HTML 4.0 browser to have accessibility' is 
not good enough - it is the same as a website which says (as many still do)
'your browser does not read frames - get a real browser...'

(My computer, a 386 with 4MB RAM, Lynx and a 2400 baud modem is good 
enough to read an accessible site, and I can't afford a computer which 
would run a modern browser. I suspect I am not alone.)


Charles McCathieNevile

Received on Friday, 15 May 1998 01:37:07 UTC