- From: Charles McCathieNevile <charles@w3.org>
- Date: Wed, 6 Feb 2002 06:25:50 -0500 (EST)
- To: Gregg Vanderheiden <GV@TRACE.WISC.EDU>
- cc: "'GLWAI Guidelines WG (GL - WAI Guidelines WG)'" <w3c-wai-gl@w3.org>
comments on Gregg's analysis: 1. We need to determine (close the issue about) what are the expected baseline capabilities of a browser. HTML? Images? SVG? CSS? ... This never seems like it will be easy. But until we have done it, I think we are not going to be able to finish the guidelines. I also still believe that the ideal goal would be to agree on how to decide when a technology (HTML / PDF / Flash / .doc format / whatever) is sufficiently widely available, and then to use those criteria to decide what things we expect of a browser today. 2. If we had a way of saying "the information presented by a document" which was clearly different from "all the things in a document" it would be helpful. cheers chaals On Wed, 6 Feb 2002, Gregg Vanderheiden wrote: 1 - I think the checkpoint could be worded more straightforwardly. Perhaps Checkpoint 4.4 -- Ensure that content is usable with default user agent settings and no plug-ins. 2 - I don't know how an author can do this since we don't specify which user agent. Any user agent? All user agents? 3 - default for some user agents includes many 'plug in' like properties. Also style sheets are usually turned on. (See related comment in checkpoint text below). 4 - the success criteria is pretty good, but should say that all the function is preserved. The word "content" is ambiguous to some. Maybe the phrase "all content and function" would work. 5 - the success criteria is not the same as the checkpoint. It suggests that the checkpoint should be Checkpoint 4.4 Ensure that all content is readable and all function (other than artistic) is preserved when stylistic and scripting technologies are not supported or are turned off. [The success criteria would then be pretty much the same as the checkpoint. But that isn't bad.] 6 - Example 2 needs to have some words at the end like: "while preserving all content and functionality of the pages". Example 3 - the last sentence should be deleted or changed to: "This benefits those with older browsers and new and old assistive technologies" ================================================== Checkpoint 4.4 Ensure that content remains usable when technologies that modify default user agent processing or behavior are turned off or not supported. Issue: define "default" for purposes of this checkpoint. If "default" were taken to mean "a user agent's default rendering", then this would defeat the purpose of the checkpoint, because (for many user agents) the default is to apply style sheets, invoke scripts and programmatic objects, etc. Success criteria You will have successfully ensured that content remains usable when technologies that modify default user agent processing or behavior are turned off or not supported if: * for technologies that associate presentation with structure, the content is still usable and readable by the user even if stylistic or scripting technologies are not supported or turned off. Examples (informative) * Example 1: Metadata. A scalable image of the layout of a network uses metadata to label each piece of the network and how they connect to each other. The metadata can be used to create a text description of the network. * Example 2: A transformation filter. A Web site provides a transformation filter that allows users to design how they will interact with the layout of the content on the site - with or without images, with or without tables, etc. * Example 3: Human resources intranet site. The human resources department for a large company provides multiple versions of the same content to ensure backwards compatibility with older browsers. The IT department is not large enough to update everyone's browsers and assistive technologies so many people make do with older technologies. Benefits (informative) In determining the extent to which older technologies should be supported, keep in mind that * assistive hardware and software are often slow to adapt to technical advances. * for significant groups of users, it may not be possible to obtain the latest software or the hardware required to operate it. -- ------------------------------ Gregg C Vanderheiden Ph.D. Professor - Human Factors Dept of Ind. Engr. - U of Wis. Director - Trace R & D Center Gv@trace.wisc.edu < <mailto:Gv@trace.wisc.edu> mailto:Gv@trace.wisc.edu>, < <http://trace.wisc.edu/> http://trace.wisc.edu/> FAX 608/262-8848 For a list of our listserves send "lists" to listproc@trace.wisc.edu < <mailto:listproc@trace.wisc.edu> mailto:listproc@trace.wisc.edu> -- Charles McCathieNevile http://www.w3.org/People/Charles phone: +61 409 134 136 W3C Web Accessibility Initiative http://www.w3.org/WAI fax: +1 617 258 5999 Location: 21 Mitchell street FOOTSCRAY Vic 3011, Australia (or W3C INRIA, Route des Lucioles, BP 93, 06902 Sophia Antipolis Cedex, France)
Received on Wednesday, 6 February 2002 06:25:50 UTC