[html4all] anne v k post on the alt attribute

[Steven Faulkner]

I have resent this message in an attempt to get it back on track. what i
would like is to hear is the thougths of others, so i don't work on
incorrect assumptions developed in the vacuum of my head.

does anybody have any thoughts on these issues and others raised in anne's
post?
1.  Is one of the motivations for making the alt attribute optional, for
situations when an author does not *find it necessary* to make the images
accessible?
2. are there more meanings in use to alt="" other than "nothing at all"?
3. has he misunderstood the way that AT UA's convey images without alt
attributes to the user?



http://annevankesteren.nl/2007/09/alt
Anne has done a post on the alt attribute
It is interesting to note what he writes:

"I am currently following HTML5 (omitting alt) as it wasn't really clear to
me what would be a better solution given the single constraint I have: not
finding it necessary to provide replacement text for all those images. This
would take too much time for little benefit."

His statement appears to widen the debate and put forward what i have
suspected is one of the key motivations for making the alt attribute
optional, namely where an author does not *find it necessary* to make the
images accessible.

He also misrepresents the meaning of alt="" :

"it tells the user agent that the image means *nothing*. Nothing at all."

when it can mean
a. the image has no meaning (e.g. spacer gif)
b. is decorative
c. has meaning, but the meaning is provided by text elsewhere in the
content.

he also misunderstands how AT UA's treat images without alt
attributes, generally by default (unless the image is the sole content of a
link) they treat them the same as alt="", that is they ignore them.

any thoughts?
-- 
with regards

Steve Faulkner
Technical Director - TPG Europe
Director - Web Accessibility Tools Consortium

www.paciellogroup.com | www.wat-c.org
Web Accessibility Toolbar -
http://www.paciellogroup.com/resources/wat-ie-about.html


-- 
with regards

Steve Faulkner
Technical Director - TPG Europe
Director - Web Accessibility Tools Consortium

www.paciellogroup.com | www.wat-c.org
Web Accessibility Toolbar -
http://www.paciellogroup.com/resources/wat-ie-about.html
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