Feedback concerning validator.w3.org - ALT tag

I wish to offer the following comments about the validation of HTML 4.01
Transitional pages.

With respect, one important consideration in the design of web pages is
reducing the size of the pages by the elimination of unnecessary code, with
a view to the pages loading more quickly.

To this end, I generally omit any code which has no practical value. That is
to say, any code which, if omitted, will not break the page, either in IE or
in Netscape.

One matter which always irritates me when submitting a page for validation
at http://validator.w3.org is the page being failed, even when designed as
Transitional rather than Strict, for the omission of "Alt" tags.

An "Alt" tag often serves no useful purpose, because an image is frequently
inserted on the page as a spacer, or to fulfill some other design purpose,
rather than as a picture to be viewed. Adding empty "Alt" tags to force the
page to validate is a sheer waste of the designer's time, of server
diskspace, and of downloading time.

Omitting an "Alt" tag will not cause any adverse effect on the page's
appearance, in any browser. The tag has no design function, only an
information function.

A page should not be failed for something which has no repercussions on the
layout of that page, i.e. for something that will not affect its appearance
in any web browser. "Alt" is only the most obvious example of this.

HTML elements which are purely optional, such as "Alt" tags, should be
removed from the category of objects which fail in a Transitional doctype.
They should only be taken into account (if at all) with the Strict doctype.

Received on Sunday, 15 May 2005 10:07:32 UTC