Re: WD-WAI-USERAGENT-19991105 review

Hi

2-12-99 Håkon Wium Lie wrote:
>The document is important. Hopefully it will be able to turn a negative
>trend -- the web is less accessible today than it was five years ago.

Yes

>One general comment before proceeding to more specific issues: I think
>the document puts too much emphasis on UAs supporting various APIs
>relative to the UAs enhancing accessibility itself.

Yes

>For example, section 5.3 states:
> > Provide programmatic read and write access to user agent
> > functionalities and user interface controls. [priority 1]

>and section 10.3 states:
> > Allow the user to change and control the input configuration. Users
> > should be able to activate a functionality with a single-stroke (e.g.,
> > single-key, single voice command, etc.). [Priority 2]

>I would suggest reversing the priorties here -- it's more important
>that the UA supports (say) single-key functionality than that it
>supports an API for changing the UI.

Definitely

> > 5.6 Conform to W3C Document Object Model specifications and export
> > interfaces defined by those specifications. [Priority 1]

>Adding support for DOM effectively turns a browser into an editor.
>This is often beneficial, but in memory-constrained enviroments it is
>often impossible. By making this Priority 1, a whole segment of UAs
>will fail conformance and might therefore pay less attention to the
>Guidelines in general. I suggest changing it to Priority 2 and limit
>the requirement fo the read (i.e. not write) portions of the DOM.

Guildline Introduction Line 4 says: "They may have a text-only screen, a
small screen, or a slow Internet connection." unquote} Recognizing slow
connections vendors may choose to create smaller UAs which shouldn't be
given a lower conformance mark because they fulfil other needs & suit that
firms approach to Web business. In any case, very few people have write
privileges on the Web. DOM strikes me as something akin to Groupware
allowing workers to edit documents on a business LAN. We shouldn't be
distracted from the goal of enhanced Web usability. Other laws make business
programs Accessible WAI is about Web browsing.

Regards,
Bryan

->"It has been said the pebbles can't stop the avalanche, guess the pebbles
didn't have access to the Web!"

Received on Friday, 3 December 1999 11:19:28 UTC