RE: Minutes for User Agent Teleconference for August 30 2007

Jan wrote:
> > ACTION: JR to Write something up regarding other potential system
> > services impacting display/control
>
> I'm thinking that it makes sense to differentiate situations in which
> operating environment services are used to render content vs. implement
> chrome, since perhaps the priorities will be different:

good point

> - if a user agent uses *operating environment* services to render any
> content (e.g., tooltips displaying attribute values, window title bar
> displaying document titles), then the user agent preferences must allow
> user to configure any display or control preferences of those services.

think it should be:  ...then the user agent must provide the user an
interface to configure any display or control preferences of those services.

Current user agent preferences do not prohibit users from changing operating
environment rendering service. Nor do they provide an interface to those
controls.  Only the user agent *knows* which operating environment services
are being used to render content (tooltips, alert box, etc.). A user would
have to guess or experiment with display settings (for example) to discover
what changes occur in the user agent's content rendering. So, it is up to
the user agent to provide an interface to allow the user to modify the
display of those services. The question is "can user agent mediated changes
to the services only apply to the user agent?" or does the user agent
inform/warn the user that the changes will impact all other applications
using those services.

A quick check of help in IE, FF and Opera on Windows show no information
about changing the display properties (color, font, etc.) of tooltips.
Although, Opera does all the user to edit an .ini file to turn off tooltips
(not really an interface).

>
> - if a user agent uses *operating environment* services to render any
> user agent chrome (e.g., menus, open/save dialogs, tooltips), then the
> user agent preferences must allow the user to configure any display or
> control preferences of those services.

I think this is going beyond what should be expected of a user agent.
Efficient programming and accessibility practices say use system features
for the chrome. Users should already know about accessibility features in
the operating environment. Users should also know that changes to the
accessibility features impact all applications (including user agents) using
*operating environment* services to render application chrome.

Jim

Received on Tuesday, 4 September 2007 14:04:13 UTC