OT: Stop IE

[kerensky]

I am now a convert to teh cause of Firefox. This program is awesome!

[Will]

Bah, all this talk of IE v. Firefox et. al., it is complete nonsense. There is only one true way to browse the internet, read mail or news, use the shell, or in general, do anything at all. And that way, friends, is EMACS.

[Suicide Junkie]

Bah.
Get the non-firefox Mozilla instead. It works better.

[Spoo]

Suicide Junkie said:
Bah.
Get the non-firefox Mozilla instead. It works better.

In what way?

Thermodyne said:
Yep, web content has to be equally accessible to individuals with disabilities. Including blind individuals. It provides the mechanism for these “individuals” to collect civil damages, which is where the legal establishment stepped in. The intent was to improve access; the result has been the skimming of much cash.

Every site has to be completely viewable by adaptive software such as JAWS. It can be a real pain when writing code by hand.

I hadn't heard if this before. Could you post a link to a reference? I googled the topic, but the most recent source that I found (2002) said that the "Americans with Disabilities Act" doesn't apply to web pages: http://news.com.com/2100-1023-962761.html

[Sivran]

Spoo said:

In what way?

Well, let's put it this way.

I've heard of plenty of people having trouble with Fireweasel crashing, losing profile data such as bookmarks etc., and various other problems.

I have never experienced these problems, never once lost any bookmarks, very rarely experienced a crash. I'm using Mozilla.

Even when I was using the pre-release 0.x versions of Firefox--I started at 0.5 and worked up to 0.8--I did not experience anything more major than some crashes (lockup), which I later attributed to an incompatability between Gecko (the rendering engine for all Mozilla browsers) and my video card at the time.

Firefox 0.5, btw, was much faster than Mozilla, so there was a reason for its existence. Firefox is now no faster than its more mature brother lizard. But if you want speed, try the 1.8 beta of Mozilla--it screams. Try K-Meleon. It screams louder.

[Raging Deadstar]

Tell me about it....

I started Designing Websites when I was 13, I'm 19 now and now that I use firefox I've found that the w3c standards are a great thing.

However, unlearning 6 years of bad habits and coding is a hell of a lot more difficult than I thought!

[General Woundwort]

I have never experienced these problems, never once lost any bookmarks.

Same here. I'm using Firefox 1.0.7.

[Thermodyne]

Spoo said:

I hadn't heard if this before. Could you post a link to a reference? I googled the topic, but the most recent source that I found (2002) said that the "Americans with Disabilities Act" doesn't apply to web pages: http://news.com.com/2100-1023-962761.html

Here is the part that impacts the web. The key words that allows the rule to be applied to every website "or used by federal agencies", have been much abused. I have seen a case where a private site was linked to by a federal worker in an email to a client. The client took exception and filed a complaint. The site owner was found lible.


Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act requires that all "electronic and information technology" (EIT) developed, procured, maintained, or used by federal agencies must be equally accessible to persons with disabilities as it is to those who are not disabled. The statute and the implementing standards help to create an accessible workplace for federal employees with disabilities. When EIT conforms with the requirements of section 508, people who are blind or visually impaired are able to access and use government information and services as independently and effectively as those who are sighted. Through the use of technology, filling out an electronic form, keeping a copy of the form, or accessing information describing a federal program is as accessible for persons with disabilities as it is for those without disabilities. People who are blind or visually impaired can locate, identify and operate the controls, and functions of any information technology used to provide government information, whether it is on the web, or in a kiosk.

[Spoo]

Thermodyne said:
Here is the part that impacts the web. The key words that allows the rule to be applied to every website "or used by federal agencies", have been much abused. I have seen a case where a private site was linked to by a federal worker in an email to a client. The client took exception and filed a complaint. The site owner was found lible.


Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act requires that all "electronic and information technology" (EIT) developed, procured, maintained, or used by federal agencies must be equally accessible to persons with disabilities as it is to those who are not disabled. The statute and the implementing standards help to create an accessible workplace for federal employees with disabilities. When EIT conforms with the requirements of section 508, people who are blind or visually impaired are able to access and use government information and services as independently and effectively as those who are sighted. Through the use of technology, filling out an electronic form, keeping a copy of the form, or accessing information describing a federal program is as accessible for persons with disabilities as it is for those without disabilities. People who are blind or visually impaired can locate, identify and operate the controls, and functions of any information technology used to provide government information, whether it is on the web, or in a kiosk.

Although I couldn't find anything about the specific lawsuit that you mention, from what I can find, section 508 only applies to third-party websites that are under direct contract to the government.

http://www.access-board.gov/sec508/FAQ.htm

4) Does Section 508 apply to the private sector?

No, it does not regulate the private sector and does not apply to recipients of Federal funds.

16) Does this requirement also apply to commercial or private sector Web sites?

No. Section 508 does not apply to a private sector Web site unless such site is provided under contract to a covered entity. For example, a Federal agency might contract with a consulting firm to collect and analyze some demographic data and make that information available to the public on a Web site. In that case, the Web site or portion devoted to fulfilling the contractual obligation would be subject to Section 508. The firm's general Web site, or the portion not devoted to the contracted study, would not be subject to Section 508.

[narf poit chez BOOM]

However, having a website that works for disabled people is a good thing.

How do you make sure the webpage is compatable?