[thelist] Tip o'the day (x2)

[aardvark]

> From: "Tony Crockford" <tonyc at boldfish.co.uk>
> 
> *but* the point being made is that sooner or later we're all going to
> have to shut the door on some or other user, why not hurry it along?

see, i don't agree with that... i'd rather *not* think that's the 
default... the default should be that we *never* try to shut out 
users...

when that client comes along who wants that Flash5 gee-whiz, 
then sure, we know that's going to exclude people, but expecting 
to exclude people from the start might prevent you from raising that 
concern with the client...

> I *totally* agree with you on making sites accessible to as wide an
> audience as possible, but I think that eventually we'll all go mad
> trying. (as a perfectionist who suffers from analysis paralysis I
> think I chose the wrong career change last time!)

yes, i think we will...

> Here's what I'm planning to do:
> 
> * Code for standards compliancy. (by hand)

+1

> * Draw a line somewhere on how much backwards compatibility and cross
> browser compatibility I will build in (using "know thine audience" as
> a rule of thumb.)

-1... i'd rather not do that on the whole... case by case situations 
will arise, but i'm not going to exclude a group willy-nilly... after all, 
who am i to decide who's good enough to surf a site?

> * let users of non standards compliant browsers  (in the nicest
> possible way) that they are making my life difficult.

0 -- neutral on that one... i've got no problem with that, as long as it 
isn't rude... or in-your-face...

> * campaign for a simpler life.

less beer and smokes...

> When you rip all this apart it's about expectation.  When I travel I
> fully understand the difference between tourist and first class.  If I
> buy a cheap ticket I don't expect first class service, and I'm never
> disappointed.

this is true, but you should thank the airlines for at least including 
coach and sheep class... if they only catered to those with all the 
money, do you think you'd fly anywhere?

(and who's never disappointed on a flight?)

> Unless we *educate* our users they'll never know there's a difference.

agreed...

> I can't decide if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but experience
> tells me that hiding things from people with great expectations leads
> to bitter disappointment when we decide we can no longer afford to
> keep up the pretence.

this is true...

> I'm dropping out of the debate, got *far* too much work to
> do................

um... damn... now who to chat with?