Checkpoints 4.3 and 6.3

To follow William's suggestion, we could incorporate the qualifications
and the note accompanying checkpoint 6.3 into checkpoint 4.3, thereby
combining the two checkpoints. The resulting checkpoint could remain under
guideline 4 or be moved to the user agent compatibility guideline
(guideline 6).

However, the rationale of checkpoint 6.3 goes beyond interference with
navigation to encompass user control over time-based changes in content
(essentially, automatic updating, otherwise than under the user's control,
involves making an assumption as to the user's ability to read and
understand the material within a limited, author-specified time period;
and this can obviously lead to an access problem whenever the assumption
proves to be incorrect). Thus, we could combine the checkpoints along the
following lines:

4.3 Give users control of mechanisms that can interfere with their ability
to navigate, or which require content to be read or responded to within a
limited period of time.

In the accompanying notes it would be made clear that if the user agent
provides such control, then it is not the content developer's
responsibility to do so; but where this is not the case, then the author
is obliged to supply an option that would allow the user to deactivate any
of the mechanisms covered by the checkpoint. Thus, the requirement is
stated in a form which makes no assumptions as to how the control is
provided: whether supplied by the content developer or by the user agent,
it must be available. In the techniques, we could assist content
developers in judging whether, as regards specific features which fall
into this category, appropriate control is provided by user agents.

Such an approach is consistent with the over-all policy that the
guidelines should make minimal assumptions as to where particular
functionality is implemented (in a server, a proxy server/gateway, a
user agent, an assistive technology or other application interacting with
the user agent via a software interface, etc.)

Received on Wednesday, 8 November 2000 20:20:25 UTC