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Re: Alt Tag [sic] Pedantry

for

From: Kynn Bartlett
Date: Feb 16, 2006 12:30PM

On 2/16/06, Austin, Darrel < <EMAIL REMOVED> > wrote:
> > Now you're just insulting the original poster. I don't see
> > anything in there which indicates that he has no knowledge of
> > the alt attribute and would attempt to use a non-existent
> > <alt> element instead.

> I'd rather not go to a mechanic that calls my timing belt the 'timer
> thingamabob' and the oil pan as the 'whatchamacalit that holds that
> greasy stuff'.

Right, because this discussion is about whether or not we're going to
use the services of the original poster.

Your analogy is broken, anyway. There are plenty of cases in auto
mechanics where the technical term is not always used and a slang term
is commonly acceptable. There is no common slang term "timer
thingamabob", but neither did the original poster talk about "alt
whatchamacallit."

> > I don't see what's so hard about understanding that "alt tag"
> > is slang which pre-dates even WCAG 1.0, and which is in
> > fairly common usage in web design.
> It's not slang.

Yes, it is.

> It's a complete misunderstanding of a basic concept.

No, it's not, unless you think people who say "alt tag" are going to
use a fictional <alt> element. People who say "alt tag" mean they are
going to tag (attach text to) an image with a tag (label) using the
alt attribute.

Note that there are several definitions of "tag" in English.

> Tags are tags. Tags have attributes. Attributes have values.

Oh, please, if you're going to be pedantic, at least get it right. I
/can/ out-pedant you if I want to.

http://www.w3.org/TR/html401/intro/sgmltut.html#h-3.2.2

Only elements have attributes. Tags don't have attributes. You are
yourself lacking a fundamental understanding of HTML (and SGML and
XML) if you believe that /tags/ have attributes and not /elements/.

Gosh, wasn't that fun? I just PWN3D J00 with my 1337 HTML-fu.
(apologies to screenreader users: "i just owned you with my elite
HTML skills.")

But it's pointless and stupid, because we both know perfectly well
what you were talking about. And the only reason for me to correct
you is to humiliate you, oh and to make my point.

> Sometimes we web developer call them alt tags because we make a simple
> slip up. Sometimes we web developers call them alt tags because we
> aren't aware of those differences in the first place.

And sometimes it's just slang and it's asinine to assume that anyone
who writes "alt tag" doesn't know the difference between an attribute
and an element.

ESPECIALLY on this mailing list.

--Kynn