Tuesday, March 14, 2006

Getting Caught Up - Web 2.0

In an effort to get caught up with a few things I didn't have a chance to write about, on Sunday, I attended on additional session dealing with new Web standards, what is called Web 2.0. The WC3 has published new accessibility standards designed to be more flexible across platforms and less specific to html based applications. They discussed accessibility with Flash and Javascript, bringing up the new platform AJAX, which stands for Asynchronous Javascript and XML. It is a Web platform used to create interactive applications. This is definitely a cutting edge technology, and promises to change the way that Web applications are developed. But, due to its complex nature, the panel urged users to be cautious in moving this way. Developers must be mindful of accessibility issues for users with disabilities as well as issues having to do with usage environments (i.e. keyboard only users, mobile devices, etc.)

The panel included Faruk Ates (Kurafire Network), James Craig (cookiecrook.com),
Derek Featherstone (furtherahead.com), Shawn Lawton Henry (WC3), and Matt Vande Voorde (Accessible Content Magazine).

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