- From: Patrick H. Lauke <redux@splintered.co.uk>
- Date: Thu, 20 Jul 2006 11:36:57 +0100
- To: Jesper Tverskov <jesper@tverskov.dk>
- Cc: w3c-wai-ig@w3.org
Quoting Jesper Tverskov <jesper@tverskov.dk>: > If we add /vista an error message is not returned but the URL is > automatically corrected to /windowsvista. > > This is misuse of the error message turning it into some sort of search > engine not even notifying the user. The longer we remove ourselves from web > server 404 defaults we get a million different concepts of what an error 404 > is supposed to be. To follow the standards just a little would do also in > this case. So, just to recap: 404s should never attempt to help the user actually achieve their goal? If an error can reasonably be corrected, the application should not attempt to do that, but rather give a STBU message? I'd say that when there is an *obvious* way to correct an error, usability would suggest that it's a good thing to actually do so. How do you feel about Apache's mod_speling, for instance? And, to repeat what I wrote over on the Accessifyforum: if you see users typing an outdated/wrong URL (or, stretching it even further, following a broken link i.e. feed erroneous/outdated information into the system that is your web server) as an "input error", then providing a list of possible matches or any other information that may help the user is actually recommended, based on WCAG 2 current draft "2.5.2 If an input error is detected and suggestions for correction are known and can be provided without jeopardizing the security or purpose of the content, the suggestions are provided to the user." http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/guidelines.html#minimize-error -- Patrick H. Lauke __________________________________________________________ re·dux (adj.): brought back; returned. used postpositively [latin : re-, re- + dux, leader; see duke.] www.splintered.co.uk | www.photographia.co.uk http://redux.deviantart.com __________________________________________________________ Web Standards Project (WaSP) Accessibility Task Force http://webstandards.org/ __________________________________________________________
Received on Thursday, 20 July 2006 10:37:20 UTC