HTML 5 Alt and Authoring Tools
Gez Lemon’s HTML 5 Alt and Authoring Tools shows why I have so much trouble accepting the idea that alt might be optional. I’ll say it again - the current HTML 5 treatment of optional alt (to satisfy Flickr, for example) is a circular argument about spin. Read some of these comments, yep spin. Gez is correct in the article. I long ago suggested we just include a HTML 5 Apathetic Doctype and let Flickr under the bar by default that way? I seriously wasn’t joking! Why spin? I mean if we just want crap to get passed as valid HTML 5 to improve uptake by software like Flickr then why even fib? Here’s your gold star, goose, now let us get on with it.
Otherwise we might as well drop all the barriers that stop people providing valid code - hey bring back FrontPage and we’ll skip them over the low bar, too. Why the hell not? Flickr be damned we’ll let them all in - out with the Doctype too, right?
How hard is it to keep alt=”" as a mandatory minimum? Most people won’t give a shit about using H1 - H6 properly but we’re not shunting those are we? Please don’t tell me they’re going as well. This is one subject that pisses me right off. Can you tell?
Say after me - frig the Flickr case study. Say it… dare you.[rant over]
