Re: Full HTML Web Accessiblity in NS and IE 5.0

At 11:59 AM 12/16/98 -0800, Kynn Bartlett wrote:
>I would personally be more pleased with the so-called "Web
>Standards Project" if they would actually promote the use of
>web standards by designers.  Their party line seems to be
>"web standards are for the BROWSER MAKERS, we wouldn't dare
>think of holding ourselves or other artistes to that level
>of compliance."

That's a job for a different organization. The Web Standards Project was
set up specifically to go after browser makers and not Web designers and
developers. The browser copanies keep us busy as it is. 

>Which ultimately hurts accessibility -- it's hard to get people
>to code properly accessible HTML if they're unwilling to code
>valid HTML at all. 

The purpose of going after the browser companies is because currently
designing to standards is extremely limiting because of the poor support on
behalf of the browsers. Anyway, the way to get them to want to design using
valid HTML is not to chastize them for their choice of HTML and make them
feel stupid but to help them understand nicely why it's the right thing.
The government will then sock Title II and II organizations with ADA
requirements to do so.

On the other hand, most designers don't code by hand. They use authoring
tools. So really, someone should be going after authoring tool companies to
make sure they use techniques that create valid HTML.

>I'm sadded that the WSP has chosen to
>vocally declare that web authors should NOT worry about
>following web standards.  Standards are for "them", not "us",
>apparently.

That is an incorrect interpretation of the WSP's message. We are not saying
that "developers" don't have to follow standards. We have chosen to focus
on one group and not overextend the already limited time of those involved.

Hope that makes things a little more clear.

--
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Received on Wednesday, 16 December 1998 15:14:02 UTC