Re: Proposed structure for media-dependent conformance

Actually, my concern is that if we provide a specification which is
incomplete, then two problems may arise:

1) The document will not help User Agents which do not fit the categories
we produce.

2) Currently the techniques document says:
1.1 Media dependencies
  
   Not all user agents are capable of rendering natively all media types
   (e.g., audio, video, etc.) or all formats within a given media type.
   Similarly, not all user agents are capable of rendering to all target
   devices (e.g., screen, paper, braille device, etc.) The techniques in this
   document are meant to be implemented by user agents that support the
   relative media types. Thus, for example, if a user agent renders video
   natively, it should implement the techniques relating to video. Or, if a
   user agent does not render to a visual device, it is not required to
   satisfy the font or color techniques.
   
   In this document, we refer to a user agent that is capable of performing a
   specific task natively as an enabled user agent.
   
   An enabled user agent must implement a Priority 1 technique when it is
   enabled for that technique.

This formulation effectively provides for a test by common sense in any
given case. If we specify the media types (or Agent profiles, or whatever)
then I think we are significantly weakening that test by common sense. In
view of the rapid nature of change on the web I feel that is a bad
strategy.

On the other hand, as I understand it I am the only person in the working
group who feels this way. So having recorded my concern, I feel that
unless people really want to follow it up I will defer to the group and we
need not discuss it further. 

On Wed, 16 Dec 1998, Ian Jacobs wrote:
[snip]  
  Charles McCathieNeville has expressed concern that the WG,
  by choosing subsets, will make conformance difficult for some
  User Agents that can't implement all the techniques in that
  subset. 

--Charles McCathieNevile -  mailto:charles@w3.org
phone:(temporary) +1 (617) 258 8143  http://purl.oclc.org/net/charles

W3C Web Accessibility Initiative -  http://www.w3.org/WAI
545 Technology sq., Cambridge MA, USA

Received on Wednesday, 16 December 1998 18:45:19 UTC