alt text length

I am aware that the general rule of thumb is that any image that cannot
be described in a few words should be linked to a separate full
description. I am just wondering if there are any exceptions to this.

Here is a scenario I am currently grappling with. I am 'fixing' a
website for a company that has the entire front page rendered as images
(without any alt text!). One of the images is simply a text welcome
message about 40 words long. Once the site has been properly redesigned
of course this text will be rendered as, well, text. But in the
meantime, as a short-term fix, I have provided a 'D' link which spells
out the text in the 'welcome' image. 

My question is, would this be a situation where it might be 'better'
just to write the text contained in the image as alt text? Are there any
other situations where longer alt text can be justified?

Cheers
Jamie Mackay

Received on Sunday, 29 July 2001 18:13:01 UTC