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Re: Title attributes on images and links

for

From: Jukka K. Korpela
Date: Aug 5, 2009 12:10PM

Karl Groves wrote:

>> Yep. In fact, that is the only way to open new windows and still have
>> your
>> site validate as XHTML strict. In their infinite wisdom, the w3c
>> decided to
>> deprecate the target attribute and force developers to use javascript
>> to do
>> this very simple task.
>
> That's OK.

The W3C did not force anything. They can deprecate whatever they want, and
people can still use the target attribute if they want to. Whether that's a
good idea is different thing. But W3C recommendations affect this only if
you wish to conform to them.

> You'll have all new frustrations when HTML 5 comes out!
> ;-)

Let's hope that HTML 5 will be as successful as XHTML 1.1! :-)

> Besides, target wasn't removed from XHTML 1.1
> http://www.w3.org/MarkUp/2004/xhtml-faq#target

That's really... er... should I say "politics" or "(bad) philosophy". Of
course target was removed from XHTML 1.1, along with many other features,
when "Transitional" features were all removed.

> As always, if there's an element or attribute you wish to use which
> doesn't exist or is deprecated, then declare a different DTD and
> conform to that.

Or just use it. The DTD stuff is only useful if you a) understand what DTDs
are and b) use validators. Both are useful things of course, but most
authors live without both of them.

> <a href="http://www.example.com">Go <img src="foo.gif" alt="Opens in
> a new window"></a>

For some reason, "Go Opens in a new window" doesn't strike me as an
exemplary link text, especially in the light of WAI recommendations and
usability perspective...

--
Yucca, http://www.cs.tut.fi/~jkorpela/