Value of validation {was Re: Validation Issues....}

G'Day Josh,

 >Please note, this is only a personal view, although I would like to know how
 >the rest of the list think about it.

Well, since you asked ....   :-)

>"Rules and regulations are for the abeyance of idiots and the guidance of
>wise men/women".

Very true!!  Some people tend to become obsessed with the idea of 
validation, as if that was the ultimate goal.  Unfortunately it is possible 
to write valid code that isn't supported by our current browsers 
:(  Validation is only a tool to maximising your intended audience.  Mind 
you - I think those who are really interested in "maximising" their 
audience should check out the XHTML specification - that's definitely food 
for thought!!

I also recall seeing something that stated "Man gains his first measure of 
intelligence the moment he admits his stupidity"

>If it works, don't worry about it, your better off spending time on
>something that really matters.

I'm assuming here that (while validation isn't an end by itself) you still 
include validation as an essential component of page design.  Otherwise, 
how do you know it works?

Validation may throw up a number of errors - it requires an "educated 
guess" to decide if these errors will affect your target audience!


Chris Higgs <c.higgs(at)landfood.unimelb.edu.au>
Institute of Land and Food Resources
University of Melbourne http://www.landfood.unimelb.edu.au

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