What does "for example" mean [ was summary attribute required? history.

Al brings up the question of whether "for example" means what I thought it 
meant.

At 01:57 PM 3/5/01 -0500, Al Gilman wrote:
>I have to object to your reading of the "plain meaning" of the English.
>
>It does not say "for [any] HTML use the SUMMARY attribute on [all] TABLEs."
>
>What it says is, 'For example, in HTML, use the "summary" attribute of the
>TABLE element.'
>
>This leaves plenty of room for "in HTML, use the CAPTION subelement within a
>TABLE" to be yet another conforming example.


Lets see what happens when we use that reading of "for example" in WCAG 
checkpoint 1.1 which says:

For example, in HTML:
·       Use "alt" for the IMG, INPUT, and APPLET elements, or provide a 
text equivalent in the content of the OBJECT and APPLET elements

Do we no longer have to use ALT for images?

or in
3.1 When an appropriate markup language exists, use markup rather than 
images to convey information. [Priority 2] For example, use MathML to mark 
up mathematical equations

Since it says "for example" does this mean we don't have to use MathML for 
equations?

or in

3.6 Mark up lists and list items properly. [Priority 2] For example, in 
HTML, nest OL, UL, and DL lists properly.

Do we not have to mark up lists and list items properly?

In other words, if we don't interpret "for example" to mean "this is 
required", we open a can of snakes in the rest of WCAG 1.0.  If we want it 
to mean "this is just one way to do it"  lets be explicit about that by 
issuing a small erratum.

Len
--
Leonard R. Kasday, Ph.D.
Institute on Disabilities/UAP and Dept. of Electrical Engineering at Temple 
University
(215) 204-2247 (voice)                 (800) 750-7428 (TTY)
http://astro.temple.edu/~kasday         mailto:kasday@acm.org

Chair, W3C Web Accessibility Initiative Evaluation and Repair Tools Group
http://www.w3.org/WAI/ER/IG/

The WAVE web page accessibility evaluation assistant: 
http://www.temple.edu/inst_disabilities/piat/wave/