[thelist] flash accessibility/usability

[.jeff]

djc,

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> From: Daniel J. Cody
>
> i don't think using an outrageous example proves
> anything actually.
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we can agree to disagree.

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> as for the 'makes shit move' comment, in a response to
> erik, you just said flash had it's uses.
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yes, i completely agree that it has its uses.  my "makes shit move" comment
was in reference to how it's *usually* sold as a solution.  apparently many
of the people don't understand everything they can do with it and pitch it
as a solution to a problem that doesn't exist.  that's unfortunate --
especially since flash has potential for so much more than that in capable
hands.

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> you also mention how you yourself used it to tie into CF
> to provide ski maps.  que es esta?
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actually, i quoted a letter asking what a co-worker thought about something.
i didn't say we were actually using it.  however, we do have a project in
the works that will be very cool that will dynamically display those runs
that have been groomed, complete with administrative tools to control the
display.  using this implementation as an example, let me describe the
cost/benefits analysis we went through.

there are approximately 64 runs on the mountain that need to identify to the
end-user whether they've been groomed or not.  the mountain couldn't afford
to have a static image created for every possible combination from none
groomed to all groomed, with every combination in between.  they also
couldn't afford a solution that would dynamically create an image based on
parameters.  what they could afford was a flash movie that took some
parameters and then determined which runs to show as groomed and vice versa.
based on their budget and the demographic of their audience (> 97.5% of the
visitors are using browsers that come with flash installed by default) it
just made sense to use flash.  however, the use of flash wouldn't be done in
such a way as to impede getting the same information on the site in other
formats like a text list of groomed runs.  the flash movie is simply an
enhancement of something that's already in existence.

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> Every site, without exception, that you've seen have
> unequal html/flash versions in your opinion, but you
> use flash on a site by site basis? any examples that
> we can check out?
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the sites mentioned in this thread have been excellent examples of this
problem -- either an html version isn't built at all meaning the only way to
get at the content is via flash, an html version *is* built but it's far
inferior in it's design, development, freshness of content, and/or
completeness, or over-developed in that it can't be used without javascript
turned on, has tiny fonts, huge (file size) graphics, etc.

http://motown.com/ is a perfect example of the latter where an html version
is over-developed.

.jeff

http://evolt.org/
jeff at members.evolt.org
http://members.evolt.org/jeff/