A List Apart: Comments on: A Standardista’s Alphabet

Posted by: Erin Kissane

2012-01-31T13:00:49+00:00

On behalf of all of us at ALA, I want to note that we publish this article in the best of humors and with much affection and respect for all persons mentioned herein. We love you guys!

Posted by: Kelson Vibber

2012-01-31T13:00:49+00:00

You write, "Konqueror is part of the KDE and claimed to have been the first browser to pass the Acid2 test for CSS rendering compliance (although it has been claimed that it failed to apply a rule properly)" I don't recall Konqueror making any such claim. Even then it would have been silly, as development builds of Safari had passed a month earlier: * April 27, 2005: Internal builds of Safari pass. * June 5, 2005: Development builds of Konqueror pass. * October 31, 2005: Safari 2.0.2 passes * November 29, 2005: Konqueror 3.5 passes Sources at http://www.hyperborea.org/journal/archives/2005/11/01/acid2-timeline/

Posted by: Adam Craven

2012-01-31T13:00:49+00:00

haha, very funny. Here's a another one: "P is for 'pinch of salt', what the article should be taken with".

Posted by: Tomas Caspers

2012-01-31T13:00:49+00:00

If I point out that the latin classification (_Standistus argumentatavum maximus_) *must* be marked up as i instead of em – does that make me a _Standistus argumentatavum maximus_ or am I just an idiot who should go out more often?

Posted by: Davorin Pavliac

2012-01-31T13:00:49+00:00

Nice joke, man ;) Of course Z should be for Zeldman.

Posted by: Jack Pickard

2012-01-31T13:00:49+00:00

@Kelson: will have to see if I can dig out that reference @Tomas: Yes, you'll make a good Greater Standardista. Welcome aboard. @Davorin: I would have mentioned him more, but he's just too shy. I'm pleased to see everyone seems to be taking it in the spirit it was intended, anyway!

Posted by: Mauricio Sandoval

2012-01-31T13:00:49+00:00

Great compilation Jack! I love the GrayBit thingy. I loaded some sites with their engine and besides being helpful as an accessibility tool, it also gives a sense of nostalgia. Very cool indeed.

Posted by: N V

2012-01-31T13:00:49+00:00

Z is for Zen Garden, of course

Posted by: Michelangelo Iaffaldano

2012-01-31T13:00:49+00:00

Is it just me, or there are a lot of sites that look far better after you run them through Graybit?

Posted by: Mike Cherim

2012-01-31T13:00:49+00:00

Kudos to you, Jack, for putting all of this in such a good light. And kudos to the ALA for publishing it! @Tomas: Don't forget the lang="la" on that element ;-) @Mauricio: Funny, like the old "I Love Lucy" episodes. @Michelangelo: How true!

Posted by: John Lascurettes

2012-01-31T13:00:49+00:00
For users on OS X, "Sim Daltonism":http://www.michelf.com/projects/sim-daltonism/ is a fantastic tool.

Posted by: Erin Kissane

2012-01-31T13:00:49+00:00
Aaron's going to kill me for not marking up the fake Latin properly. But what *is* the lang attribute for fake Latin?

Posted by: Mike Cherim

2012-01-31T13:00:49+00:00
Nevermind, that'd be PigLatin I suppose ;-)

Posted by: Sander Aarts

2012-01-31T13:00:49+00:00
lang="~la" perhaps?

Posted by: Blair Millen

2012-01-31T13:00:49+00:00
Great article Jack... perfectly balanced.

Posted by: Jeremy Epstein

2012-01-31T13:00:49+00:00
*L* is for *Lynx*, one of the most sophisticated browsers the web has ever seen. Lesser standardistas would have heard of Lynx, but would not have actually used it, as it requires using a command-line interface, and _nobody_ (except for wild-haired geeks with hexagonal glasses) does that anymore. Greater standardistas would claim that no web site can truly call itself accessible until it has been tested on Lynx (by someone else, such as a lesser standardista). *N* is for ... um ... what was that other browser? You know the one - nep ... net ... something or other. I could have sworn I knew its name in 1998; but now, when I try to recall it, the only thing that comes to mind is a tombstone, with these words engraved on it: _this memory has been erased from your brain; for further enquiries, please contact Microsoft support_. Oh well, I guess some things are "best left to the past":http://www.scottandrew.com/ns42002/

Posted by: Jeremiah Cohick

2012-01-31T13:00:49+00:00
Konqueror was not the first to pass Acid2, but rather Safari. A KHTML developer was even [url="http://www.kdedevelopers.org/node/1001"]quite miffed[/url] at the expectation that Konqueror would magically pass as soon as Apple released its changes. WebCore, the Safari rendering engine, is now a separate branch of KHTML.

Posted by: Martin Vrkljan

2012-01-31T13:00:49+00:00
Had a good laugh at this one. :) Nice job, Jack.

Posted by: Jeremiah Blatz

2012-01-31T13:00:49+00:00
Konqueror and Safari both used the same rendering engine (kHTML), so distinctions between older version Safari and Konqueror are splitting hairs at best. Supposedly they're re-converging now.

Posted by: retro retro

2012-01-31T13:00:49+00:00
H for handcoding: Let's face it. Anyone who really wants a great standards-compliant website knows that without handcoding you're just lost. Design tools are there to help prototype page design etc... but for the finishing touch keep your "vi" handy. M for Microsoft: Microsoft is one of the greatest standard plattform out there. Let's not forget this.

Posted by: retro retro

2012-01-31T13:00:49+00:00
H for handcoding: Let's face it. Anyone who really wants a great standards-compliant website knows that without handcoding you're just lost. Design tools are there to help prototype page design etc... but for the finishing touch keep your "vi" handy. M for Microsoft: Microsoft is one of the greatest standard plattform out there. Let's not forget this.

Posted by: R Bhavesh

2012-01-31T13:00:49+00:00
if A is not for ala, then Z must be for zeldman for bringing this great alistapart. what say u?;)

Posted by: Cone Tanriverdio

2012-01-31T13:00:49+00:00
hmm, for me is G for Google not for Grayscale ;) greetz CT

Posted by: Glenda Sims

2012-01-31T13:00:49+00:00
Brilliant Jack! Just the way to end my virtual evening. One comment about G is for Greyscale...that is so very 1999...in WCAG 2.0 we will get to use the Lumonisty Contrast Ratio....perhaps G can be for Gez Lemon who is my hero for creating the Colour Contrast Analyser Firefox Extension! http://juicystudio.com/article/colour-contrast-analyser-firefox-extension.php

Posted by: Rettentő Sebhelyesfarku

2012-01-31T13:00:49+00:00
*Z* - is for *Zealot* Zealot like standards zealot, Maczealot etc.

Posted by: Andrew Chilton

2012-01-31T13:00:49+00:00
Whatever people think about Google, they're big and just getting bigger. I never used to be a fan, but they generally just do things right. Nice article by the way, really enjoyed it and learnt a few things along the way.

Posted by: Mark Wyner

2012-01-31T13:00:49+00:00
This is a great primer for those new to web standards. And it was a pleasant lunch-read for a seasoned veteran like myself. Nice work, Jack!

Posted by: Ricky Irvine

2012-01-31T13:00:49+00:00
Zeldman? O is for Orange book.

Posted by: Matt Lee

2012-01-31T13:00:49+00:00
Which open source licenses don't let you charge for your product?

Posted by: Jordan Clark

2012-01-31T13:00:49+00:00
Great work Jack! I'll bookmark this to read every time I start taking things a bit too seriously...

Posted by: Jordan Clark

2012-01-31T13:00:49+00:00
Great work Jack! I'll bookmark this to read every time I start taking things a bit too seriously...