Re: A proposal for changing the guidelines

Jason wrote:
> ...the requirements are goal-oriented rather than process-oriented:
> they prescribe what must be available to user agents, namely
> accessible web content, and are not concerned with how this is
> generated, whether by server-side manipulations or otherwise.

I believe that many of the checkpoints are in fact influenced by *HOW* the
content is generated.  Many of the issues and priorities are based on the
current and in many cases past capabilities of the client user agent and
assistive technologies.  For example, client-side verses server-side image
maps, client-side JavaScript verses server-side cgi, tables for layout
verses CSS2 positioning have all been used as arguments to raise and lower
priorities of the checkpoints and define the checkpoints themselves.  I
understand that what happens on the server may not be a concern, except
that the guidelines dictate to some extent that many things still need to
be handled on the server to remain accessible.  I believe to move forward
the working group needs to do a better job in defining the requirements.
As an author/developer I need to know what the assumptions are in terms of
platforms and capabilities of user agents and assistive technologies.  I
propose we issue a W3C note with these assumptions specified, and then move
forward from these in changing the guidelines.    The problem is that
platforms, user agents, and assistive technologies are all at different
levels.  We need to agree on some specified set and document them in a W3C
note.

Regards,
Phill Jenkins

Received on Monday, 13 March 2000 14:21:11 UTC