By coincidence Oftel just today released statistics today on the level of broadband take up by residential consumers.
The headline figures are that the UK now has over 1.4 million broadband users, and that one in ten of UK homes with Internet access use broadband services. It doesn't say how many of these are in East Lothian though!
The press release can be found at: http://www.oftel.gov.uk/press/releases/2003/pr03_03.htm
and the full report can be found at: http://www.oftel.gov.uk/publications/research/index.htm
best wishes
Emily
Emily Adams
Research & Information Assistant
National Museum Directors' Conference
Imperial War Museum
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London
SE1 6HZ
Tel: 020 7416 5208
Fax: 020 7416 5485
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The National Museum Directors' Conference represents the leaders of the UK's national collections, including the national museums and galleries in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, the three national libraries, the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew and the Public Record Office. For more information please visit our website - www.nationalmuseums.org.uk
>>> [log in to unmask] 01/27 3:41 pm >>>
> Peter
>
> Sure, let's remember these guidelines - but let's also
> actively challenge
> them - continuously and rigourously - rather than simply
> complying because we may 'lay ourselves open to potential law suits'.
I think rather we should comply because it is a sensible design philosophy which doesn't prevent exciting design.
[snip accessible=dull argument]
It simply does not follow. Designing accessibly does _not_ mean sites have to be HTML2. And _no-one_ should be designing sites _for_ browsers, an exercise in absolute futility.
The point of HTML + CSS is that you can make the super-duper glossy site for browsers that understand it all, but that browsers which don't will still be able to deliver the content. It doesn't matter if the site looks different in different browsers. It always will anyway, and there's nothing you can do about it. As for me, yes I am making sites that _work_ in v3 browsers. They just don't look as good (or perhaps I should say "they look worse" ;-)).
> Is anyone still designing website for 3+ browsers? If they
> are, they're
> frankly wasting good time which they should probably be
> spending looking at
> the size of the images they use, the look and feel of their content or
> their search engine. Or even (and no names here) - not using
> Comic Sans
> font on their website, becuase let's face it - it looks truly
> **horrible**.
>
I'm intrigued to know what would be displayed on a machine without that font.
> The web truly has moved on. People are now implementing
> broadband at home.
Not in East Lothian, they're not. And no prospect of it either.
> They've had it for years at work. Almost everyone has Flash.
> Most people
> use browsers that can handle stylesheets. Let's *embrace* the
> technology,
There is a problem with much inappropriate (or gratuitous) use of flash though. It's all very well for those of us able to use free browsers, but if you have to pay (often substantial sums) to get or upgrade your browser then even the latest version of Flash may very well exclude you from a site. If it's something that could only be delivered in Flash (or similar format), and the rest of the site is accessible, that's fine. But all too often it's used because we can, not because it's the best solution.
> whilst also acknowledging the constraints on those who have visual
> impairments and disability. There is a middle ground - we
> should find it.
>
If the extremes are "design only for the latest graphical browsers with all the plugins" and "design only so that the same version is seen in every browser", then the middle ground is to design accessibly, and let "degrade gracefully" be our watchword.
>
> At the same time as challenging the way that things can be viewed with
> different browsers / platforms, let's also look at the kind
> of product that
> is being delivered and how that appeals to a potential audience.
>
>
Now if only they could devise an automated validator to check that ;-)
Best wishes
Pete
--
Peter M Gray
Museums Officer
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