[html4all] Request for review of alt and alt value for authoring or publishing tools

[Lachlan Hunt]

John Foliot wrote:
> However, if the next generation authoring language *DID NOT ALLOW 
> THIS*, then Flickr and kin would wake up and smell the coffee, and
> allow the contributors the ability to do the right thing.

Keep in mind that the *current* generation authoring language does not 
allow alt to be omitted.  A simple requirement for alt in HTML5, just 
like in HTML4, won't have any effect on sites like flickr.  But there is 
sure to be other, more effective approaches that might.

> It is for this *VERY* reason that the next-gen language needs to be more 
> pro-active in the social engineering regard, to force (through the risk of 
> non-conformance) authoring tools to provide the ability for content authors 
> to do the right thing - something I cannot do at Flickr even if I wanted to.

HTML5 conformance criteria should not be considered to be a social 
engineering tool.  The lack of requirement for alt in a few cases does 
not prevent alt text inspection tools being integrated into 
accessibility checkers or validators.  Social engineering on this issue 
can and should continue through other avenues, such as accessibility 
guidelines, advocacy and education; but not in the HTML5 specification.

-- 
Lachlan Hunt - Opera Software
http://lachy.id.au/
http://www.opera.com/