- From: Ian Jacobs <ij@w3.org>
- Date: Tue, 28 Dec 1999 13:11:32 -0500
- To: "Gregory J. Rosmaita" <unagi69@concentric.net>
- CC: Jon Gunderson <jongund@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu>, User Agent Guidelines Emailing List <w3c-wai-ua@w3.org>
"Gregory J. Rosmaita" wrote: NOTE: I have removed other WAI mailing lists from this part of the thread since the topic of my email is really only about user agents. > i would, therefore, also strongly advocate that -- at least in regards tables > -- that the UAGL use a bit of if-then logic: "for UAs which implement the DOM" > and "for UAs which do not implement the DOM" -- in according priority to table > navigation, so that assistive technologies can obtain information about tables, > their structure, and the context of each component from UAs that do not (at > least not immediately) implement the DOM...... This reminds me of the "Interoperable v. Stand-alone" conformance proposal (17 Sep 1999 [1], refer also to summary of conformance proposals [2]). That proposal was rejected because it allowed conformance without interoperability. Gregory's suggestion takes a different approach: a sliding priority scale to ensure that the UA provides a necessary functionality when it doesn't use the DOM. The only problem: If you don't implement the DOM, you don't conform. And that requirement is Priority 1 (today). So the priority of a table navigation checkpoint doesn't matter and therefore doesn't need to slide. I raised a question at the face-to-face in Austin: what are the criteria for deciding which functionalities belong in general purpose user agents which should be implemented by assistive technologies? I have published some thoughts, entitled "User Agent Responsibilities" [3] for consideration by the Working Group. This document does not attempt to answer definitively the question of native support for table navigation. I hope, however, it will serve as a support document (after WG approval) to present our rationale on table navigation and other requirements to the Director when we go to Proposed Recommendation. Comments are very very welcome; the 28 December 1999 version is the first available draft. Happy New Year to all, - Ian [1] http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/w3c-wai-ua/1999JulSep/0375.html [2] http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/w3c-wai-ua/1999JulSep/0433.html [3] http://www.w3.org/WAI/UA/1999/12/ua-resp-19991228 -- Ian Jacobs (jacobs@w3.org) http://www.w3.org/People/Jacobs Tel/Fax: +1 212 684-1814 Cell: +1 917 450-8783
Received on Tuesday, 28 December 1999 13:12:27 UTC