[thelist] Jumping In With Both Feet

[aardvark]

> From: Mark Howells <mark at mountain.ch>
>
> > Von: "aardvark" <roselli at earthlink.net>

that's cool... can i call myself "Von aardvark?"

> > I wonder why everyone forgets about handicapped users...
> 
> Because they're in the minority at the moment, along with the poor
> Netscape 3 users. 

they are, but there's been a lot of talk about all the 'cool' new things 
you can do with new browsers... if we're talking about just 
appearance, well, that can be a hindrance to handicapped users, 
and if, like me, you do lots of government work in the US, that's a 
bit illegal...

but if everyone's talking about standards and standards-compliant 
browsers, then it's not a problem, since it can make things more 
accessible...

i guess i was responding to some of the responses, which is why it 
was rhetorical...

> Amongst other reasons, coding for all browsers (and ensuring
> compatibility for as many users as possible) means that handicapped or
> disabled users will be able to view much more content than they can at
> the moment.

exactly... of course, if you've been building sites correctly all along, 
switching to standards shouldn't be a jump, and should maintain 
your level of accessibility...

> > i'm assuming the original statement was about browsers (you cut the
> > original message sender, and i'm not about to go hunting in my
> > trash)...
> 
> I was referring more to the interface functionality within web
> applications, rather than the browsers themselves. Sorry if I buried
> that a bit deep!

oh, gotcha...

> > downloading ever newer and fatter
> > browsers doesn't appeal to me...
> 
> That's your choice - so why should you be refused entry to a site that
> demands that you have Mozilla on Windows 2000 before you'll be
> admitted?

i shouldn't -- and that's my point...

> I can't get into a debate about browser advances because I'm not that
> up on the intimate details, away from coding websites to take
> advantage of new functionality (i.e. Javascript etc). I'm sure that
> there are other features that improve your browsing experience without
> you being aware of them.

yes, there are, but i downloaded them as the web developers add-
on tools for IE...

otherwise, all the big new features over the years have been 
ignored by me (channels, RealNames, image toolbar, save for web, 
etc., etc.)... some of the more subtle ones (user selectable styles) 
are a good thing, however... but i use all those features as a 
developer, not a user...