RE: conformance proposal

Some random-ish thoughts:

1. I like Jim's idea of: "UAAG 2.0 Conformance for Extensions (Level A, AA, or AAA)". 

2. We will need a definition of extension...the glossary has a definition of "plugin" that might be a helpful start: "A plug-in is a program that runs as part of the user agent and that is not part of content. Users generally choose to include or exclude plug-ins from their user agents."

3. I generally like Greg's user agent types....and I think they would benefit from a definition of operating system...eg Wikipedia says: collection of software that manages computer hardware resources and provides common services for computer programs.
- we could add that platform accessibility services and keyboard interfaces are usually provided here.
- I'd also like to see a note that a user agent could be embedded in an OS

4. Then we could include a mention of OS in Greg's defn of "stand-alone web browser"

5. Embedded web browsers could also include mention of a connection to the OS

That's it for now...

Cheers,
Jan


(MR) JAN RICHARDS
PROJECT MANAGER
INCLUSIVE DESIGN RESEARCH CENTRE (IDRC)
OCAD UNIVERSITY

T 416 977 6000 x3957
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E jrichards@ocadu.ca

From: Jim Allan [mailto:jimallan@tsbvi.edu] 
Sent: January-31-13 6:52 PM
To: WAI-ua
Subject: conformance proposal

all of this can be found in HTML at www.tsbvi.edu/conformance-proposal.htm 
Random thoughts

Most SC are at the browser level at desktop, and platform level on mobile device. Browsers have limited functionality
Have a lot of sc that are desktop specific. Should we highlight these, or highlight the ones we think pertain to mobile.
Conformance claimcould be paper, or a video showing how things worked. this would be good for extensions. 

the information below is from our Implementation document, Jan's stuff on Partial conformance, Greg's stuff on conformance, conversations with Kelly and Jeanne, and meeting minutes. I have made some sausage, in that bits and pieces have been used from all of the above, rearranged, and slight rewordings. Please comment on-line. 

Definition of User Agent 

A user agent is any software that retrieves, renders and facilitates end-user interaction with Web content. 

What qualifies as a User Agent?

These guidelines employ the following tests to determine if software qualifies as a user agent. UAAG 2.0 divides potential user agents into

platform-based application

extension or plug-in

web-based application 



Platform-based User Agent

If the following three conditions are met, then it is a platform-based application:

It is a standalone application, and

It interprets any W3C-specified language, and

It provides a user interface or interprets a procedural or declarative language that may be used to provide a user interface



This includes desktops, and mobile devices. 

Full UAAG 2.0 Conformance

A user agent conforms to UAAG20 at A, AA or AAA level when it meets the all of the SCs appropriate for the claimed level of conformance. The UA may meet the appropriate SCs wholly on its own or must list extensions necessary to meet specified SCs that the UA cannot meet alone.

Partial UAAG 2.0 Conformance - 

This conformance option may be selected when a user agent is unable to meet one or more success criteria because of intrinsic limitations of the platform. The SC marked with Not Applicable (NA) conformance should explain what platform features are missing.

User-Agent A conforms to the following Success Criteria:

all met SC are listed.



The following SC are listed as NA using the codes below:

all NA SC are listed



NA:* Not Applicable Codes: (Level A, AA, or AAA)

*NA-Input:* not applicable due to a constrained input set (e.g. an application that reads flight data in XML format from a corporate server, or a help system that only displays HTML files included with the product) 

*NA-Platform:* not applicable due constraints of the platform (e.g. color handling when the browser is run on a monochrome device, audio handling on a silent device, video handling on a interactive voice response browser, or interprocess communication on an operating system that does not support multitasking). The conformance should explain what platform features are missing.

*NA-Output:* not applicable due to intentionally limited output modalities (e.g. video handling in a browser that only does audio output even though the platform might support video)



The following SC are listed as Not Compliant using the following scheme:

All Non-compliant SC are listed



NC:* Not Compliant codes: (Level A, AA, or AAA)

*NC-Potential:* not compliant but in theory a third party could make it compliant using documented and supported techniques (e.g. the product's extension architecture readily allows adding the required feature; this is also allowed if the source is made available and the claimant believes it could be modified to add compliance with less than one person-week of effort, thus giving incentive for open source 

*NC-Unsupported:* may be compliant but not using documented and supported techniques

*NC-Impossible:* not compliant even with undocumented and unsupported techniques



Extension or Plug-in

If the following two conditions are met then it is an extension or plug-in:

It is launched by, or extends the functionality of a platform-based application, and 

Post-launch user interaction is included in, or is within the bounds of the platform-based application



This includes most extensions and plugins (e.g. media players). It excludes AT, as they are standalone applications separate from the browser (rule 2 above). It excludes web-based application plugins (see the definition below).

UAAG 2.0 Conformance for Extension (Level A, AA, or AAA):

This option may be used for extension or plug-in with very limited functionality. Conformance for an extension or plugin can be claimed for specific SCs and the SCs related to preference settings, toolbar settings, documentation, and programmatic access. 


The conformance claim must list all browsers and versions with which the extension operates. 

The level of conformance (A, AA, or AAA) is determined as above except that: (1) for any "no" answers, the extension (plug-in, etc.) must not prevent the success criteria from being met by another user agent extension as part of a complete user agent system and (2) the user agent extension (plug-in, etc.) must meet any requirements applying to all functionality (e.g. to be resizable, to provide documentation, etc.).

Note: User agent Extensions would not be able to meet conformance if they prevent additional user agent components from meeting the failed success criteria (e.g., for security reasons).

NA-Component: not applicable to the limited functionality provided by this user agent component, plug-in, or extension (e.g. SC relating to rendering content would not apply to a browser extension that adds additional menu commands but does not itself render any content)

Example: 

A "mouseless browsing" extension allows the following listed browsers (UA1, UA2) to meet UAAG success criterion 2.3.3 ("Direct activation of Enabled Elements: The user can move directly to and activate any enabled element in rendered content."). Additionally we meet these SCs related to user interface components (Guideline 2.1 2.3.4, 2.7.1, 2.7.1, 2.8.1, 3.3.1, 3.3.2). All other SC are rated NA-Extension.

Web-based User Agent

If the following three conditions are met then it is an web-based application: 

The user interface is generated by a procedural or declarative language; and

The user interface is embedded in an application that renders web content, and

User interaction is controlled by a procedural or declarative language, or if user interaction does not modify the Document Object Model of its containing document.



This is also known as a "webapp" Examples include Web-based text editors (xStandard, ckEdit, etc.) canvas applications, web application (e.g Docusign, c9.io - Cloud based IDE).

@@all of the conformance below is the same as for a Platform based UA. Perhaps we put the definitions sequentionally. So Platform and Web-based are followed by one conformance section, then Extension/plug-in follows with its conformance.@@

Full UAAG 2.0 Conformance

A user agent conforms to UAAG20 at A, AA or AAA level when it meets the all of the SCs appropriate for the claimed level of conformance. The UA may meet the appropriate SCs wholly on its own or must list extensions necessary to meet specified SCs that the UA cannot meet alone.

Partial UAAG 2.0 Conformance - 

This conformance option may be selected when a user agent is unable to meet one or more success criteria because of intrinsic limitations of the platform. The SC marked with Not Applicable (NA) conformance should explain what platform features are missing.

User-Agent A conforms to the following Success Criteria:

all met SC are listed.



The following SC are listed as NA using the codes below:

all NA SC are listed



NA:* Not Applicable Codes: (Level A, AA, or AAA)

*NA-Input:* not applicable due to a constrained input set (e.g. an application that reads flight data in XML format from a corporate server, or a help system that only displays HTML files included with the product) 

*NA-Platform:* not applicable due constraints of the platform (e.g. color handling when the browser is run on a monochrome device, audio handling on a silent device, video handling on a interactive voice response browser, or interprocess communication on an operating system that does not support multitasking). The conformance should explain what platform features are missing.

*NA-Output:* not applicable due to intentionally limited output modalities (e.g. video handling in a browser that only does audio output even though the platform might support video)



The following SC are listed as Not Compliant using the following scheme:

All Non-compliant SC are listed



NC:* Not Compliant codes: (Level A, AA, or AAA)

*NC-Potential:* not compliant but in theory a third party could make it compliant using documented and supported techniques (e.g. the product's extension architecture readily allows adding the required feature; this is also allowed if the source is made available and the claimant believes it could be modified to add compliance with less than one person-week of effort, thus giving incentive for open source 

*NC-Unsupported:* may be compliant but not using documented and supported techniques

*NC-Impossible:* not compliant even with undocumented and unsupported techniques



Example: 

A mobile app for an airline might, in fact, be an HTML browser that only displays specially-structured text-only HTML content (flight information) from a known source. Because the content is very predictable, certain UAWG requirements that would usually apply to an HTML browser (e.g. regarding how to display image alternatives) would not apply. @@this needs to be expanded a bit@@









-- 
Jim Allan, Accessibility Coordinator & Webmaster
Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired
1100 W. 45th St., Austin, Texas 78756
voice 512.206.9315    fax: 512.206.9264  http://www.tsbvi.edu/
"We shape our tools and thereafter our tools shape us." McLuhan, 1964

Received on Thursday, 7 February 2013 17:31:43 UTC