RE: Avoid deprecated features query

Hmmmm

Looks like there is consensus that we should avoid using the word avoid.

I concur.   Either we say  
"Try to avoid" - so it is clear that it is not mandatory
or we use
"don't use" or    "xxxx is not used"  and be clear that it is not to be
used. 

AVOID means  " do not use" or "do not go there".  Yet I think we used it
when we were being a little iffy.    So we were misusing the word.

 
Gregg

 -- ------------------------------ 
Gregg C Vanderheiden Ph.D. 
Professor - Ind. Engr. & BioMed Engr.
Director - Trace R & D Center 
University of Wisconsin-Madison 


-----Original Message-----
From: w3c-wai-gl-request@w3.org [mailto:w3c-wai-gl-request@w3.org] On Behalf
Of Kynn Bartlett (by way of Wendy A Chisholm <wendy@w3.org>)
Sent: Wednesday, June 04, 2003 5:23 PM
To: w3c-wai-gl@w3.org
Subject: RE: Avoid deprecated features query


Agreed.

The word "avoid" has been one of the worst stumbling
blocks for Web developers -- after "until user agents"
-- in understanding and implementing the Web Content
Accessibility Guidelines.

Nobody seems to know what "avoid" means.  If WCAG is
meant to forbid something, it should do so.  If it
does not mean to forbid something then how can you
know if you have complied?  (If "avoid" does not mean
"do not use," then any "avoid" checkbox is by
definition uncheckable.)

The word "avoid" is one word that -- in the opinion of
this Web development educator -- should be excised
from WCAG entirely.  It tells us nothing and guides no
one.

--Kynn

--- "Montgomery, Gordon"
<Gordon.Montgomery@Staples.com> wrote:
 >
 > The issue seems to be semantic, pivoting around the
 > meaning of the word
 > "avoid" in the guideline.
 >
 > I agree with Pam that "avoid" does not include the
 > sense of  its likely
 > intended meaning: "do not use" [per Wendy 's
 > interpretation]. "Avoid"
 > certainly is more of a "grey" word
 > than a "black or white" one.
 >
 > I suggest need to be clearer and replace "avoid"
 > with "do not use" in the
 > guidelines.
 >
 > This change would then create a more "black and
 > white" decision for those
 > trying to make their whole sites compliant.


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Received on Wednesday, 4 June 2003 23:52:52 UTC