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<.quote> Well, it's rather ironic -- usually I am arguing with people who will ONLY code for the newest browsers.....how does that square with the Lynx users? <./quote> ......... In my case, it's less a matter of coding for the newest browsers than getting rid of the older, badly overworked HTML system that is pre-XHTML. Lynx handles the basics of HTML structural design: p, a, and even the alt text for images. It doesn't care about most of the fancy stuff that was added to HTML for glitter. In this way, Lynx is similar to other alternative platforms, such as text-to-speech readers: much of what was intended for the human eye is irrelevant. Therefore, if a designer understands their craft only from the viewpoint of visual presentation, it would seem that designer only understands a portion of his or her job. Here is the goal: 1 copy of the content, able to run on any platform that understands CSS or (X)HTML structural elements. Yes, even on IE 3 or NN4, although what those users see is pretty much what the Lynx user sees: a series of headers and paragraphs and links (plus images, of course!) without the positioning or many other presentation techniques intended for platforms such as IE6. Since NN4 is using an outdated version HTML, NN4 doesn't see pages that are as pretty as a newer browser sees. Since a text-to-speech or Lynx user desires only to see the content of the site, and not what is to them the "clutter", then the design is a success if it allows them to do that. Older HTML, with so many "tricks", such as scattering transparent gifs or using tables to jigsaw a visual result, does not support Lynx or other alternative platforms cleanly. XHTML and CSS do support them cleanly. They even support NN4 or older browsers, as long as we do not try to pretend the design should look the same in those browsers as it does in newer ones! Coding for the older browsers means coding only for sighted people who use Web browsers to access the site. Coding for the "Newer Browsers" (i.e. usin g XHTML and CSS) means coding for all platforms, even through the display looks different to different users. D ----- Original Message ----- From: "cbirds" <cbirds(at)earthlink.net> Kid Stevens hunted and pecked out this message on 6/16/2002 10:53 PM >>If you are worried about viewers with disabilities (and if you do a public >>site or a site for a large corporation you should be), then it is very >>useful to see whether your pages are navigable and/or readble to the site >>impaired. Well, it's rather ironic -- usually I am arguing with people who will ONLY code for the newest browsers.....how does that square with the Lynx users?
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