[WEB4LIB] img ALT attribute in NS 6.2.x

[Thomas Dowling]

>Does anyone know what Netscape 6.2 is doing with the ALT attribute in an
>IMG tag? I've recently loaded 6.2.1 at work and 6.2.2 at home, and neither
>seem to display the alt tag as a mouseover-message when an image loads. I
>suppose the "mandate" of the ALT attribute is to provide information when
>the image isn't available, but it's often used as a "hidden caption" --
>functionality that's been supported in IE, Netscape 4.x and I think also
>Opera until now. (I don't know about NS 6.0.x and 6.1.x as I uninstalled
>them pretty soon after loading them...)


As you've already surmised, Mozilla-based browsers use ALT only for its 
intended purpose: as text to display as an alternative to the image when 
the image itself isn't available, displayed, or loaded.  Opera has always 
done this also.

The solution is to use the title attribute.


>I should think the change will make a difference for many folks; I don't
>often use it to convey additional information that I expect image-users to
>need, but I do sometimes use it for handy "extras".


Many of the sites churned out in Frontweaver Gold Doubleplusgood will give 
their owners some late nights bringing them up to standards.  (Not to 
suggest this applies to you, Ken, but an object lesson for many webmasters.)


Thomas