Re: Rationale for using RGB Values?

Hmmm. Probably the best way to get the answer is to sift back through old
minutes and mail archives which predate the first introduction of the
technique. So start sifting back through revisions of the techniques
document...

The only reason I can think of is that it is theoretically a little easier to
deal with color values that are RGB automatically. In particular, there is no
need to write the case statement, or array search, that associates a numeric
value with colours. Which seems a little tenuous to me. In terms of
internationalisation, they are both effectively opaque strings. But then so
are the supposedly mnemonic names for most HTML elements (not that "a" ever
strikes me as very mnemonic, althoug at least it is easy to write).

Any other pearls of wid=sdom (or has someone done the actual research
suggested above?)

Charles McCN

On Fri, 29 Dec 2000, Sean B. Palmer wrote:

  <lang xml:lang="en">
  I was asked a question about the rationale for the WCAG CSS Techniques [1]
  telling people to use qualified colours (RGB values) rather than names. The
  only reason I could think up was that names aren't as widely supported as
  RGB values, and you can't get the exact colour that you want. Please note
  that the Techniques document provides no explanation whatsoever for using
  RGB rather than a name.
  I was asked this question about three days ago. It has taken me all that
  time to realise that I'm on GL, so I only have to raise the point (duh!)

  [1] http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10-CSS-TECHS/

  The commenter noted that it might be a mistake, but since it was not
  explained he could not comment further!

  Kindest Regards,
  Sean B. Palmer
  http://infomesh.net/sbp/
  "Perhaps, but let's not get bogged down in semantics."
     - Homer J. Simpson, BABF07.
  </lang>


-- 
Charles McCathieNevile    mailto:charles@w3.org    phone: +61 (0) 409 134 136
W3C Web Accessibility Initiative                      http://www.w3.org/WAI
Location: I-cubed, 110 Victoria Street, Carlton VIC 3053, Australia
until 6 January 2001 at:
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Received on Saturday, 30 December 2000 10:41:55 UTC