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Re: HTML 5 (sic) and A11y

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From: Jared Smith
Date: Jan 24, 2011 10:07AM

On Mon, Jan 24, 2011 at 2:24 AM, Joshue O Connor < <EMAIL REMOVED> > wrote:
> Hi y'all,
>
> I just saw Ian Hicksons post on the WHATWG Blog where the HTML 5
> "technology is not versioned and instead we just have a living document
> that defines the technology as it evolves".

As a bit of a background to this for those that have not been following this...

Last week the W3C announced a logo for HTML5
(http://www.w3.org/html/logo/). I think it is generally well designed
and a nice way to brand HTML5 stuff, if a bit gimmicky. But the W3C
also muddied the waters with the logo by suggesting that HTML5
includes CSS3 and loads of other nifty technologies that aren't really
HTML5 at all. There was a bit of an outcry and the W3C backtracked a
bit (http://www.w3.org/html/logo/faq.html#css3).

In the meantime, the WHATWG, perhaps a bit reactionary to the W3C
convolution of "HTML5", announced that they are dropping the "5" to
focus less on iterations and snapshots of an HTML specification, but
more on a continually evolving "living spec". The open WHATWG has
talked about this change for some time. And they essentially function
this way anyway. They are continually innovating and changing the
spec, and browser vendors are implementing this new stuff in generally
haphazard ways all the time. Dropping the "5" won't really change what
the WHATWG and browser vendors do in this regard.

I generally like this change for many reasons. So long as the W3C
continues to capture snapshot versioned iterations of HTML (the first
of which will be HTML5), this establishes a formalized standard
(different than the evolving specification) to which authors and
browser vendors can solidly develop. This change can actually make it
much easier for the W3C to do this because the W3C and the WHATWG
won't need to harmonize on versions. The WHATWG will do their thing
and the W3C will encapsulate the solid and well-adopted portions of
HTML into (hopefully) regular versions.

> What this move effectively means is that HTML (5) will be implemented in
> a piecemeal manner, with vendors (browser manufacturers/AT makers etc)
> cherry picking the parts that they want.

Very true, at least for the innovative parts of HTML. It's always
worked this way. But if the W3C versions the important and stable
pieces into regular standards, it also means that we can have more
consistent and stable implementations of what really matters. Of
course this will work best if the W3C process occurs somewhat faster
than it's typical glacier pace. Also absolutely critical to all of
this is the fact that the W3C's patent process helps protect the
standard. There is no such protection in the WHATWG world.

As Patrick notes, if you consider the current state of browser and
especially assistive technology support for HTML 4, I don't think this
change could make things any worse. Instead, we have brilliant minds
pushing innovation and doing some very cool things with accessibility
at the WHATWG. The W3C process and their Accessibility Task Force are
working hard to ensure solid accessibility in their specifications.
Browser vendors are involved in both processes to varying degrees.

Regarding accessibility, it is true that accessibility implementations
in HTML, in browsers, and AT will lag likely behind the WHATWG spec.
But this is exactly what is happening now. Keeping the "5" won't
change this. What will change this, however, is us contributing to the
WHATWG 'living standard' and ensuring that the W3C standards have
solid accessibility included. Perhaps more important is each of us
pressuring browser and AT developers to actually implement
accessibility early and correctly.

Jared Smith
WebAIM