Re: Can I use... (was RE: Media - Suit Over Airlines' Web Sites Tests Bounds of ADA)

At 01:31 PM 10/9/02, John Foliot - bytown internet wrote:
> > Can I use any public standard? (i.e., gif, jpg,etc.)?
>
>Sure... PNG too if you want (SVG support ain't there yet, although
>you *could* use it).  Again, the W3C Standard states that you
>should provide a text equivelant for any none textual object, so
>don't forget your *meaningful* ALT text and possibly LONGDESC
>attributes.

When is something a public standard? Is it when I place a program
or plugin on the web, along with a document how to markup for the
plugin? Is it when more than a few authors use my public standard?
Is it when more than a few perople have installed my plugin? Or is
it when one of the institutes like the W3C take over my public
standard?

> > Can I use JavaScript? Why not, it's a public ECMA standard.
It depends on what you want to do with it. If you want to let it
generae the documents contents? No! If you want to use it to
control navigation with it? No! If you want it to apply security
or validation? No! if you want it to enhence the things already
in your content? Yes!

How often do authors things in javascript or vbsript like
   if ((brower.name != "IE") || (browser.version < 5.5))
     document.url="/goaway.htm"

or things like
   #include "myfunctions"
   printheader();
   startbody();
   curlyheading("Product information:");
   downloadcontents("http:://foo.bar.baz/more.inc");
   printfooter();

I can only access my bank account online with IE and NN5.x
only because they use a line of JS to go to the final page
with the browser window maximized. If they used the action=""
instead of the onClick and left the window the size it was
there would be no problem. I've tried to communicate with the
bank in question, but they don't want to hear about it.

> > Why do you insist that the "problem" or "burden" is with the
> > authors and not the developers of Lynx that don't support all
> > of the W3C and other public standards?  Again I argue that it
> > would be more effective to fix Lynx than to fix the millions of
> > applications already written.

I use lynx a fear bit, and I have not really found anything
serious that is broken. And no lynx will never support CSS or
SVG, flahs anso on, or the full (x)HTML recommendation. For that
lynx would have to become a graphica;l browser just like IE, NN,
and so on. Althoug lynx could support a small subset of JS.


Christian

Received on Wednesday, 9 October 2002 08:51:39 UTC