Comments on: Geek in the Park: Pragmatic accessibility http://www.brucelawson.co.uk/2006/geek-in-the-park-pragmatic-accessibility/ Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:14:31 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: patrick h. lauke http://www.brucelawson.co.uk/2006/geek-in-the-park-pragmatic-accessibility/comment-page-1/#comment-43574 patrick h. lauke Tue, 24 Oct 2006 01:11:22 +0000 http://www.brucelawson.co.uk/index.php/2006/geek-in-the-park/#comment-43574 podcast and transcript of the discussion are now finally available: http://www.splintered.co.uk/documents/presentations/geek_in_the_park_27.08.2006/ podcast and transcript of the discussion are now finally available: http://www.splintered.co.uk/documents/presentations/geek_in_the_park_27.08.2006/

]]> By: Rob Kirton http://www.brucelawson.co.uk/2006/geek-in-the-park-pragmatic-accessibility/comment-page-1/#comment-28541 Rob Kirton Mon, 04 Sep 2006 16:00:48 +0000 http://www.brucelawson.co.uk/index.php/2006/geek-in-the-park/#comment-28541 I found the bit about the text resize plugin to be of most interest. Prior to release 1.5 firefox, I contacted the lead developer and suggested that a sure fire winning feature should be a simple two standard buttons on the menu bar. The opera zoom everything method would possibly be most appropriate. I was given a (polite) brush off and told that better solutions were on the roadmap. Maybe so. I realise that the current tool bar only navigates, and this changes this. I would howver argue that the function is as equally important as those already there, especially if a user is suddenly thrown ionto a site where no thought has been given to the real effect of using small font sizes as default. Surely it could be accomodated somewhere? It is unlikley that the average user is likley to download and install a plug in. What annoys me is that browser manufacturers have repeatedly made it so difficult for the novice / average guy in the street user to perform what is a very essentiial task for many of them. Having in the past taught an number of novice / elderley Internet users, I am sure that such a standard text resize feature would have been a great boon. Getting them to remember where to got to to find the existing feature, was always difficult. Short cut keys helped, though again we techies should rember that average users are not necessarily inclined to rememebr a number of short keys / functions All I can say is keep writing and plugging away about practical real life issues of usability / accessibility. PS dont get me on about why browsers are so right handed. Why not a feature for allowing the scroll bar to be set to the left side. Not only would it probably help the 10% or so of users (50% of my offspring) who are left handed, it may even help with sites where the navigation is on the left, helping minimise mouse movements. I found the bit about the text resize plugin to be of most interest. Prior to release 1.5 firefox, I contacted the lead developer and suggested that a sure fire winning feature should be a simple two standard buttons on the menu bar. The opera zoom everything method would possibly be most appropriate. I was given a (polite) brush off and told that better solutions were on the roadmap. Maybe so.

I realise that the current tool bar only navigates, and this changes this. I would howver argue that the function is as equally important as those already there, especially if a user is suddenly thrown ionto a site where no thought has been given to the real effect of using small font sizes as default. Surely it could be accomodated somewhere?

It is unlikley that the average user is likley to download and install a plug in.

What annoys me is that browser manufacturers have repeatedly made it so difficult for the novice / average guy in the street user to perform what is a very essentiial task for many of them. Having in the past taught an number of novice / elderley Internet users, I am sure that such a standard text resize feature would have been a great boon. Getting them to remember where to got to to find the existing feature, was always difficult. Short cut keys helped, though again we techies should rember that average users are not necessarily inclined to rememebr a number of short keys / functions

All I can say is keep writing and plugging away about practical real life issues of usability / accessibility.

PS dont get me on about why browsers are so right handed. Why not a feature for allowing the scroll bar to be set to the left side. Not only would it probably help the 10% or so of users (50% of my offspring) who are left handed, it may even help with sites where the navigation is on the left, helping minimise mouse movements.

]]> By: dotjay http://www.brucelawson.co.uk/2006/geek-in-the-park-pragmatic-accessibility/comment-page-1/#comment-28101 dotjay Sun, 03 Sep 2006 21:31:51 +0000 http://www.brucelawson.co.uk/index.php/2006/geek-in-the-park/#comment-28101 I've long-wondered why browsers generally fail to ask users a few questions about how they want their software set up. So many improvements, so little... time? money? motivation? Sad to have missed Geek in the Park, but just wasn't possible for me to get there. Nice work gentlemen. Looking forward to the "inadequacies of user agents" - I have a draft bloggage on that from December that never got posted... :( I’ve long-wondered why browsers generally fail to ask users a few questions about how they want their software set up. So many improvements, so little… time? money? motivation?

Sad to have missed Geek in the Park, but just wasn’t possible for me to get there. Nice work gentlemen. Looking forward to the “inadequacies of user agents” – I have a draft bloggage on that from December that never got posted… :(

]]> By: bruce http://www.brucelawson.co.uk/2006/geek-in-the-park-pragmatic-accessibility/comment-page-1/#comment-27323 bruce Thu, 31 Aug 2006 19:04:05 +0000 http://www.brucelawson.co.uk/index.php/2006/geek-in-the-park/#comment-27323 Mind you, unlike the author, I'd retain <code>dfn</code> as well. Look at Gez Lemon put the <a href="http://juicystudio.com/article/jargon-busting-with-the-definition-element.php" rel="nofollow" rel="nofollow" rel="nofollow" rel="nofollow">long-overlooked <code>dfn</code> tag through its paces.</a> When Hollywood finally makes <cite>Web Standards: the Teen Movie</cite>, <code>dfn</code> will be the girl at school with mousey hair, glasses and tooth braces. The captain of the basketball team, Gez, asks her to go to Prom in order to humiliate her, and she turns up with her hair done, contact lenses in and all made up, looking absolutely gorgeous, and they fall in love and fly up to the moon in a Pontiac Firebird like at the end of <cite>Grease</cite>. Sob. I'm filling up. It's so <em>romantic</em>. Mind you, unlike the author, I’d retain dfn as well. Look at Gez Lemon put the long-overlooked dfn tag through its paces.

When Hollywood finally makes Web Standards: the Teen Movie, dfn will be the girl at school with mousey hair, glasses and tooth braces. The captain of the basketball team, Gez, asks her to go to Prom in order to humiliate her, and she turns up with her hair done, contact lenses in and all made up, looking absolutely gorgeous, and they fall in love and fly up to the moon in a Pontiac Firebird like at the end of Grease.

Sob. I’m filling up. It’s so romantic.

]]> By: patrick h. lauke http://www.brucelawson.co.uk/2006/geek-in-the-park-pragmatic-accessibility/comment-page-1/#comment-27313 patrick h. lauke Thu, 31 Aug 2006 18:11:12 +0000 http://www.brucelawson.co.uk/index.php/2006/geek-in-the-park/#comment-27313 absolutely spot on jim...i'll treasure that link in my fight against bollocks ideas in xhtml! absolutely spot on jim…i’ll treasure that link in my fight against bollocks ideas in xhtml!

]]> By: Jim http://www.brucelawson.co.uk/2006/geek-in-the-park-pragmatic-accessibility/comment-page-1/#comment-27272 Jim Thu, 31 Aug 2006 13:54:09 +0000 http://www.brucelawson.co.uk/index.php/2006/geek-in-the-park/#comment-27272 Here's a link for Patrick - <a href="http://www.alleged.org.uk/pdc/2003/xhtml2-cite.html" rel="nofollow">Kill cite but keep kbd?</a> Here’s a link for Patrick – Kill cite but keep kbd?

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