RE: CSS 2: priorities in cascading order

Jon Gunderson writes:

 > I think what we want is the ability of the user to reformat the
 > information to view it the way they need it.  I think this works best when
 > the browser can ignore the author style sheets and the user can insert
 > their own.

This is a critical part in the author/reader balance, but I've yet to
see a UA which allows users to turn off style sheets on off on a per
sheet basis. The closest they get is to turn the whole style sheet
mechanism on/off in a hard-to-find menu.

 > I think attributes like !important and the such will just complicate the
 > situation for both users and authors.  We need to remember that most WWW
 > authors and users will know nothing about HTML and style sheets.  Authors
 > will use tools to build pages and users with disabilities will be using the
 > browser/OS controls and assistive technology to adjust their view to the
 > information.  Therefore we need to think of the simpliest and most robust
 > solutions.

The two are not mutually exclusive. Indeed, UAs should offer simple
interfaces to set user preferences but settings should always map into
the cascade. Adding "!accessibility" will provide a hook which
corresponds e.g. to the "Accessibility" dialog box of MS IE 4.

(This message is CC'd to the CSS&FP WG)

Regards,

-h&kon

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