RE: PDF in WCAG 2

On Fri, 20 Aug 2004 Kurt_Mattes@bankone.com wrote:

been on vacation last week finally home and "work" gets in the way of
relaxing


> > and the USERS of text only browsers, and there are many good reasons
> > (besides access) for using text browsers.  for example, I have been in
> > Nicaragua, out in the rural areas where getting a 1200baud modem to
> > connect is lucky day.  sometimes you can't use voice over the lines.  the
> > only practical choice is a text only browser, and the local doctor there
> > will use it for consults and to look up medical information.  Or if you
> > are linking on via a sat phone where charges are over $1 per minute.
>
> > remember this is a WORLD wide web and sometimes access to information is
> > even more important in the third world, where sometimes a 386 is state of
> > the art.   we can't let technology deny more than half the world access
> > to the net.
>
> You start by saying there are many good reasons besides access for using a
> text only browser, but then conclude that the issue is access.  Your example

MY fault for misusing the word access in two different ways in the same
message and not making myself clear.  first use is "access" as in
accessibility for folks with disabilities.  second use of "access" as in
ability to use the system without having a specific disability.

> is one of personal choice due to infrastructure problems, not a problem of
> delivering inaccessible material.  Inaccessible design is not the cause.
> Technology is not denying "half the world access to the net" - again, your
> example indicates that access to the net exists.  Moreover, this example seems
> to beg for downloadable content.  If simply getting on the net is such an issue, having a local copy of the content [a PDF for example] would be the
> best solution.
>
> I also find it interesting that there seems to be no problem spending
> web site owners money - whatever it costs, create HTML versions for PDFs
> - but users should not have to spend a dime.

how long do you think it would take to download even one page of PDF at
1,200 baud...????   and when your paying several cents a minute for your
connect time??? this is the problem in the third world, even if they had a
56k modem it probably still wouldn't be able to go much faster than 1,200
baud because the telephone infrastructure is not capable of the faster
speed.  I once used PINE (text e-mail program) on a phone line so bad that
we could not use it via VOICE even screaming but the slow text modem was
able to get the message out over the same phone line...and for what it was
worth it was from San Juan de Limay, Nicaragua, not long after hurricane
Mitch destroyed the place.

Bob


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Received on Saturday, 28 August 2004 00:59:03 UTC