RE: [#1063] APPLET alt text and alternative content

I read the Guideline 4.1 Level 1 Success Criterion as permitting the use of out-of-spec elements such as APPLET and EMBED if necessary for backward compatibility. A read the Level 3 Success Criterion as forbidding them. I also am not sure what to say about extensions. But I would say certainly the Level 3 SC forbids them, at least if you're claiming to use the W3C HTML DTD. I'd leave it to the working group to debate what the Level 1 SC says. But it's unlikely the use of extensions like that are going to find their way into the HTML techniques. We document APPLET and EMBED because they're pretty much cross browser cross platform extensions, and in wide use. Manufacturer-specific extensions are likely to activate a requirement just to have an absolute fallback available somehow. Michael

-----Original Message-----
From: w3c-wai-gl-request@w3.org [mailto:w3c-wai-gl-request@w3.org]On Behalf Of Becky_Gibson@notesdev.ibm.com
Sent: Tuesday, September 21, 2004 4:47 PM
To: w3c-wai-gl@w3.org
Subject: RE: [#1063] APPLET alt text and alternative content



Regarding a proposed HTML technique about embed and applet, Roberto Scano replied: 
<Roberto> 
Sorry, but embed and applet aren't elements that are not defined in any W3C dtd? 
</Roberto> 

I think this raises an important issue about User agent supported extensions.  Does Guideline 4.1,  "Use technologies according to specification," preclude the use of these extensions if they are accessible?   When I read the level 1 success criteria I am still not certain that embed and applet are prohibited or not?  I definitely think we need to make this clearer, but unfortunately I don't have any wordsmithing proposals.   

I am concerned about this issue because of the use of the contentEditable and designMode attributes that are available on block level elements in IE and Mozilla to implement HTML editing.  If JavaScript is enabled (and that is another open issue) I can make a version of an HTML editor that is accessible using WindowEyes.  Will this meet the 4.1 guideline? 

thanks, 
-becky 

Becky Gibson
Web Accessibility Architect
                                                      
IBM Emerging Internet Technologies
5 Technology Park Drive
Westford, MA 01886
Voice: 978 399-6101; t/l 333-6101
Email:  <mailto:gibsonb@us.ibm.com> gibsonb@us.ibm.com