[Web4lib] Web technologies and public access

[John Fink]

It sounds like you already have the answer and are looking for validation
here, but without seeing the site in question or knowing anything about the
content I have to agree with the complaint.  Using Flash for content that
can be represented in HTML is a bad design decision.  Flash should be used
only when it makes sense -- for movies and the like, and maybe not even
then.  I can't even get Flash to run properly on my own computer, which is
64 bit Linux.

At the very least, there should be both flash and non-flash version of
websites, with as close an approximation as possible to the same content.
Consider people on text browsers, or people with disabilities who use
braille terminals or text-to-speech.

I don't know if it's a specific violation of federal or provincial law
though.

jf

On Jan 31, 2008 12:09 PM, David McDonald <Mcdonads at gov.ns.ca> wrote:

> I received a rather verbose tirade about a specialty web site that our
> library helped create.  We were involved minimally in the design of the site
> as the committee decided to contract that out to an outside source.
>  However, I have been asked to respond to this sharp criticism of the web
> site.
>
> I know it's not perfect and I know there are problems.  We had to create
> and design the site in about a month and half.  However, most of the
> complaints he had were dealing with accessibility.
>
> His primary complaint was that the web site required the use of Flash in
> order to view some its pages.  Unfortunately, when he clicked on the "update
> to the latest Flash player" link, he was confronted with the following
> message from Adobe:
> "We are unable to locate a Web player that matches your platform and
> browser."
>
> He states: "There is no need to use Flash, HTML can to the job."  He then
> goes on to discuss the proprietary nature of Flash and that it is not
> answerable to Canadian law ... blah, blah, blah.
>
> In my opinion, Flash should not be considered something extravagant that
> the average "citizen" doesn't have on his/her computer (or can't download).
>  Libraries should feel perfectly comfortable using Flash on specialty web
> sites as most people can use this type of software.
>
> My questions to the group are:
> To what extent do you believe that we should cater to patrons who may not
> have the latest and greatest hardware and software?  Do we need to kowtow to
> the lowest common denominator?  Should we include alternative pages that
> require no downloads?
>
> Thanks for any help.
>
> Cheers
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> David S. McDonald
> Systems and Library Technology Manager
> Nova Scotia Legislative Library
> P.O. Box 396,
> Halifax, Nova Scotia  B3J 2P8
> (902)424-5658 Fax (902) 424-0220
> mcdonads at gov.ns.ca
> _______________________________________________
> Web4lib mailing list
> Web4lib at webjunction.org
> http://lists.webjunction.org/web4lib/
>



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