Web and Software: Merging Analysis
Background
There has been a lot of discussion within the Web and Software subcommittee about the definition of Web content. As the Web has evolved from a simple information delivery platform to a full-fledged software platform, the distinction between Web content and software is blurring. Web content can now be interactive applications as well as just information with links.
In addition, we don't currently have anything in the draft that addresses content in general such as word processing, spreadsheet, or presentation documents, e-mail, data that might be displayed in an application workspace, etc. This creates the situation where we have provisions that may or may not be applicable to the same content depending on how it is accessed. That is, an HTML page accessed via a Web browser is clearly covered. But that same HTML page may not be covered if included as an attachment in an e-mail accessed via a traditional client e-mail software application.
We are also struggling with a number of goals which sometimes conflict with each other:
- Content authors are not always programmers. They need a self-contained set of provisions that don't include a lot of programming requirements that they don't understand and that don't apply to them.
- We want to harmonize with international standards. Since other countries are likely to adopt international standards where they exist, it should be possible to map provisions from the international standard provisions to the 508 provisions. In the case of Web and software, the international standards are WCAG 2.0 and ISO 9241 part 171. Note that ISO 9241 part 171 is already harmonized with ANSI HFES 200 part 2.
- Per the Access Board direction, we must not go backwards. Everything that is in the current Section 508 standard that is still relevant today must still be included.
Proposal 1
This analysis removes the distinction between Web and software that exists in the July 6, 2007 draft. Instead, it organizes the provisions into a set that is applicable to simple content and an additional set that is applicable to interactive content and applications. The distinction is that simple content is that which is rendered by a software application or user agent and includes no interactive elements other than simple links. Interactive content and applications include interactive elements that require programming logic on the part of the author or developer.
The subcommittee failed to reach agreement on this proposal due to the inability to draw a definitive line between simple content and interactive content.
Proposal 2
This proposal removes any attempt to categorize content into simple and interactive and instead provides a simple list of provisions intended to be applied to Web pages, other types of content and software. Where provisions are not generally applicable to all, applicability is defined in the wording of the provision itself.
