HTML and CSS Reference
In-Depth Information
your users to choose between the different versions of the site, or you can start out
with the fancier page and provide a link to the text version that shows up regardless
of their browser's capabilities.
Q I use a lot of external files on my website, and they can be downloaded from
several different pages. Wouldn't it be more efficient to include a link to the
correct readers or viewers on the pages where the external files appear?
A
Although it's much easier for the visitor to download an external file and the
appropriate reader or helper application from the same page, it might be more diffi-
cult for you to maintain your pages when the URLs for the helper applications
change. A good compromise is to include a Download page on your website with
links to all the helper applications that the visitor will need. After the visitor down-
loads the external file, she can then navigate to your Download page to get the
helper application she needs to view that file.
Q If I don't make my site accessible, what percentage of my audience will I lose?
A
Even if you weren't wondering about this, there's a good chance your boss proba-
bly wants to know. Unfortunately, there's no hard-and-fast number. I've seen it
reported that 10% of the population has disabilities, but not all those disabilities
affect one's ability to access the Web.
Q Can I run into legal trouble if I don't bother with making my site accessible?
A
If you're in the United States, the answer to this question is no, unless you're
working on a site for the federal government and are bound by Section 508.
Quiz
1.
How do real-world user needs vary?
2.
What are some important things to include on your site to help those who are new
to computers or the Internet?
3.
What are two things you can do right now to start migrating to HTML5?
4.
True or false: It's better to have a lot of frames in a frameset because you can keep
more information in the browser window at the same time.
5.
True or false: To make a site truly accessible, no images can be used for navigation
or links.
6.
How should navigation be placed on a page to make it most accessible?
7.
Name three attributes of tags aimed specifically at accessibility.
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