Re: use of alt attributes in decorative images

I think we are scratching the surface here and that is why I feel that
it is important to use a broad a brush to paint with as possible.  use
title for those that can pick it up and make sure it can still
bepicked up by the rest of the 9 10ths that cannot.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Kynn Bartlett" <kynn-edapta@idyllmtn.com>
To: "Bailey, Bruce" <Bruce_Bailey@ed.gov>
Cc: <w3c-wai-ig@w3.org>; <poehlman1@home.com>; <kynn@idyllmtn.com>
Sent: February 05, 2001 1:00 PM
Subject: Re: use of alt attributes in decorative images


At 09:26 AM 2/5/2001 , Bailey, Bruce wrote:
>Okay, I am using the latest version of JFW on a Windows 2000 box.
>When I come across an image (not inside a link) that has BOTH a title
and
>alt attributes, JAWS reads ONLY the title -- and I can not get it to
read
>the alt content!

This sounds to me like a user agent problem, not a markup problem.
The markup is done properly, but the assistive technology fails
on it; whose responsibility is it to correct this problem?

In my opinion, it's on the shoulders of the JFW people -- but if
someone is specifically designing an interface for JFW (such as
an edaptive system that recognizes JAWS), the optimal code for that
user agent should be delivered.

>IMHO titles belong on links -- and that's about it.  (Yes, Kynn, I
know the
>specs allow them just about everywhere, but that's not the point.)

Sure it is -- the user agent is not respecting the spec, and neither
is your humble opinion, so why should we listen to either?  Title is
meant to be used, potentially, EVERYWHERE, and a user agent which
breaks on such a circumstance is a faulty user agent.

The question then becomes whether or not you should compensate for
that problem in the user agent (in my model with an edaptive
interface, I would say yes), but you surely should not condone this
type of faulty behavior by suggesting that _only_ links can have
titles, because JFW got it wrong.

--Kynn

Kynn Bartlett <kynn@reef.com>
Technical Developer Liaison
Customer Management/Team Edapta
Reef North America
Tel +1 909-674-5225
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Received on Monday, 5 February 2001 14:16:22 UTC