Posted by BootNic on 10/03/07 17:23

John Hosking <John@DELETE.Hosking.name.INVALID> wrote:
news:47036d5c$1_5@news.bluewin.ch:

> BootNic wrote:
>>
[snip]
>> For Firefox and Seamonkey all one has to do is tab about until the
>> body has focus. Once the body has focus you can scroll all you like
>> with the keyboard.
>
> Oh, well, that does work. <sarcasm>And it's so intuitive.</sarcasm>
> Too bad I can't click on the body to give it focus. I'd actually
> thought to try *that*. Unfortunately, you've quite rudely gone and
> placed content on top of the body. ;-)

It sounds to me as though you are using an older version of a mozilla
browser, in which case it will never work well. The only reason it would
work is because you tabbed to the link in the table, which would allow you
to scroll with the mouse or keyboard as long as the link has focus. If this
would be the case, it's a UA issue, and the only thing that would help is
to change to a UA that is not as borken as the one being used.

If the UA that you are using in not intuitive, complain to the authors
perhaps it may get corrected.

>> Although I really think this issue is about the scrolling, at least
>> in my example, is not an accessibility issue, but rather a UA issue
>> that has very limited keyboard shortcuts and perhaps a lack of
>> knowledge or willingness to use of them.
>
> I'm worried that the word "accessibility" has come to be a code word
> to mean "bending over backwards for those few, poor gimps." Isn't
> accessibility really the question of whether *anybody* can access some
> resource?
>
> Making navigation JS-dependent makes a site inaccessible to those
> without JavaScript (turned on). A page for Canadian citizens on how to
> get a passport is not accessible to (pure) francophones if it's only
> in English and has no link to French content.
>
> IMDb.com uses a JS don't-copy-our-content-by-right-clicking mechanism,
> so when I see an uncaptioned picture and try to see the alt text,
> nothing happens. I can use the Web Developer toolbar, though, to turn
> on "Display Alt Attributes", or I can turn JS off, or I can scan the
> source, so I *can* get to the info, but it's basically an accessibilty
> issue as soon as it becomes more difficult than necessary to get to
> it.

My example does not have any JS in it at all, although it did have a
navigation footer, but I removed that in an earler post.

My example is in English without a link to any French content. Now that I
think about it, none of my examples really have any content in them, there
just examples.

> I think my argument is leading to the conclusion that your page lacks
> accessibility (a cumbersome phrase, to be sure, but "is inaccessible"
> is also misleading, and "has accessibility issues" is even longer).
> Yes, the scrollbars are there when appropriate, and they work for me
> without any problem. But my finger's right next to the _scrollwheel_,
> and my cursor is way over _here_, while your scrollbars are way over
> _there_.

There is no argument, there may be an issue, but no argument. Until you
share what UA and version you are viewing the page with, I don't think
there is even an issue. If you are unable or unwilling to choose or update
a UA, then that is a problem, but not a problem with my example.

--
BootNic Wednesday October 3, 2007 1:23 PM
Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you
please.
*Mark Twain*

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