[thechat] rebel without a clause

[aardvark]

> From: "Tony Crockford" <tonyc at boldfish.co.uk>
>
> It just struck me that the Web is going backwards.
>
> In the name of accessibility we are taking away an awful lot of the
> fun.

hell, you should been with me in my previous life as a concert
promoter (and security chief, and quasi-sound tech, and god knows
what else)... ever try to make an outdoor festival on bumpy grass
from gravel lots accessible to wheelchairs?

when i first started worrying about that, i felt the same way, but
then the people on crutches and in wheelchairs showed up, and
told me how much they appreciated my efforts (it seems i was the
first to give a rat's ass)... even if those efforts didn't always get
them close enough to the stage...

> We're saying no to popups, yes to giving the user control over the
> design and layout and generally treading on eggshells to make sure
> every web site we build is accessible by anyone, no matter what user
> agent they have.
>
> Don't get me wrong, I'm along for the ride, I like the notion of
> accessibility but where is it all heading?

the way of everything else?  you know, where we have to put
instructions on toothpicks and warning labels on peanut packages
(stating that it may contain nuts)...

yeah, there's a fine line between accessibility and pandering to the
extremes... i know that, i've been there...

> Flat text pages with minimal graphics?

perhaps... but that's kind of a lame way out....

> Are we taking accessibility too seriously?  Why can't I have large
> scale images in new windows, so that the user can have them all on
> screen at the same time to compare with the one window full of text
> that goes with them?

because the web is now just another place for business... sure,
your average personal site will still do whatever the hell it wants...
but business on the web is at the behest of the same stuff as in
the real world... like mirrored plastic circles on glass doors
because some yutz ran full-speed through one years ago because
he was too dim to notice the door frame or the bar on the door...

it's just business... the fun stuff is still there, you just have to look
harder...

> I'm feeling grouchy today, someone tell me that there are web sites
> out there that are "good" in terms of accessibility, browser
> compatibility etc and still "good" to look at....

there are... many of them... and probably more than that...

> I need to feel that I'm at the leading edge not pulling the brakes on
> in like some crazed luddite vainly applying friction to the wheels of
> the juggernaut.
>
> Help me!

and sometimes i want to feel like i'm not painting "No Step" on the
very edges of the caboose on the train, while knowing that people
are still gonna ignore it and step off the back...

ah well...


--
Read the evolt.org case study
Usability: The Site Speaks for Itself
http://amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1904151035/evoltorg02-20
ISBN: 1904151035