Comments on: Government web standards usage: USA http://www.standards-schmandards.com/2005/government-web-standards-usage-usa/ A pragmatic approach to web standards and accessibility Sun, 06 Jul 2008 08:50:32 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5 By: Nena Moss http://www.standards-schmandards.com/2005/government-web-standards-usage-usa/#comment-289 Nena Moss Wed, 08 Mar 2006 17:42:13 +0000 http://localhost:8888/?p=40#comment-289 <p>Thanks Peter. I will attempt to do just that.</p> Thanks Peter. I will attempt to do just that.

]]> By: Peter Krantz http://www.standards-schmandards.com/2005/government-web-standards-usage-usa/#comment-287 Peter Krantz Wed, 08 Mar 2006 09:00:58 +0000 http://localhost:8888/?p=40#comment-287 <p><strong>Nena:</strong> Validating JSP pages is no different than validating pure HTML pages. JSP and other page frameworks create HTML and that is what the validator will look at. It is possible to create valid markup with JSP and other frameworks.</p> <p>A suggestion is to teach your development organization to use the validator for testing user interfaces during development.</p> Nena: Validating JSP pages is no different than validating pure HTML pages. JSP and other page frameworks create HTML and that is what the validator will look at. It is possible to create valid markup with JSP and other frameworks.

A suggestion is to teach your development organization to use the validator for testing user interfaces during development.

]]> By: Nena Moss http://www.standards-schmandards.com/2005/government-web-standards-usage-usa/#comment-313 Nena Moss Tue, 07 Mar 2006 22:01:59 +0000 http://localhost:8888/?p=40#comment-313 <p>Thank you for this effort toward validation. Our redesigned site was uploaded on 10/01/2006, just after your test. At least the link to the validator shows our improved results.</p> <p>Can you point me to some information on validating .jsp pages? Some of our Java-developed products don't produce pages that validate. Please share any resources for validating dynamic pages. Thank you!</p> Thank you for this effort toward validation. Our redesigned site was uploaded on 10/01/2006, just after your test. At least the link to the validator shows our improved results.

Can you point me to some information on validating .jsp pages? Some of our Java-developed products don’t produce pages that validate. Please share any resources for validating dynamic pages. Thank you!

]]> By: John Allsopp http://www.standards-schmandards.com/2005/government-web-standards-usage-usa/#comment-222 John Allsopp Fri, 28 Oct 2005 03:40:45 +0000 http://localhost:8888/?p=40#comment-222 <p>Hi,</p> <p>I presented something similar at <a href="http://we05.com">WE05</a> and have just published the results. It's a little more broad in terms of its criteria, covering 4 areas of best practices in web development, and looks at 83 major sites in Australia across several sectors in government and industry.</p> <p><a href="http://westciv.com/style_master/house/good_oil/best_practices/">Results are here</a></p> <p>john</p> Hi,

I presented something similar at WE05 and have just published the results. It’s a little more broad in terms of its criteria, covering 4 areas of best practices in web development, and looks at 83 major sites in Australia across several sectors in government and industry.

Results are here

john

]]> By: Pete http://www.standards-schmandards.com/2005/government-web-standards-usage-usa/#comment-218 Pete Mon, 17 Oct 2005 09:19:22 +0000 http://localhost:8888/?p=40#comment-218 <p><strong>Tim,</strong> thank you for your comment. My motive with this test is not to "expose" individual web sites. My ambition is to compare how government policy in various countries affect web standards usage. Many countries have guidelines for government web sites that promote the W3C recommendations.</p> <p>I agree fully that this test is a blunt tool.</p> <p>Typically, the number of validation errors vary over time. When the automated test was run there may have been some information that created 2 errors. When I run the <a href="http://validator.w3.org/check?verbose=1&uri=http%3A//www.maine.gov/">validator on www.maine.gov</a> right now I get 7 errors.</p> <p>(If you want to find validation errors on your entire site, have a look at the article <a href="/index.php?2005/04/10/18-massvalidate">Validating an entire site</a> or send me an email and I'll run it for you.)</p> Tim, thank you for your comment. My motive with this test is not to “expose” individual web sites. My ambition is to compare how government policy in various countries affect web standards usage. Many countries have guidelines for government web sites that promote the W3C recommendations.

I agree fully that this test is a blunt tool.

Typically, the number of validation errors vary over time. When the automated test was run there may have been some information that created 2 errors. When I run the validator on http://www.maine.gov right now I get 7 errors.

(If you want to find validation errors on your entire site, have a look at the article Validating an entire site or send me an email and I’ll run it for you.)

]]> By: Tim Swan http://www.standards-schmandards.com/2005/government-web-standards-usage-usa/#comment-216 Tim Swan Thu, 13 Oct 2005 16:49:41 +0000 http://localhost:8888/?p=40#comment-216 <p>As a part of a team that has worked *extremely* hard toward using valid xhtml and prizes both usability and accessibility it's a little dissapointing to see these results.</p> <p>One little thing: I notice that the site that I work with (www.maine.gov) says that we have 2 validation errors - yet when I test it I only get one warning -- an unencoded ampersand. We work hard to validate every single page within the state government portal.</p> <p>I often find that people who theorize about validity and accessiblity are not the ones that are responsible for trying to make it happen. The typical government web site has hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of pages all of which are created and maintained by hundreds of people within agencies whose management doesn't necessarily understand how challenging getting content on the web can be, or the special considerations that need to be taken into account.</p> <p>I find value in this sort of blunt-tool assessment of where government site are, though I ever day I see talented, hard-working people that are fighting the odds to make sure that the promise of web accessibility becomes a reality and not just some geek theory divorced from the reality of budgets, training, education, and the needs of an incredibly diverse audience.</p> <p>No excuses; just a little clarification. And remember -- automated tests are a pretty blunt tool.</p> As a part of a team that has worked *extremely* hard toward using valid xhtml and prizes both usability and accessibility it’s a little dissapointing to see these results.

One little thing: I notice that the site that I work with (www.maine.gov) says that we have 2 validation errors - yet when I test it I only get one warning — an unencoded ampersand. We work hard to validate every single page within the state government portal.

I often find that people who theorize about validity and accessiblity are not the ones that are responsible for trying to make it happen. The typical government web site has hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of pages all of which are created and maintained by hundreds of people within agencies whose management doesn’t necessarily understand how challenging getting content on the web can be, or the special considerations that need to be taken into account.

I find value in this sort of blunt-tool assessment of where government site are, though I ever day I see talented, hard-working people that are fighting the odds to make sure that the promise of web accessibility becomes a reality and not just some geek theory divorced from the reality of budgets, training, education, and the needs of an incredibly diverse audience.

No excuses; just a little clarification. And remember — automated tests are a pretty blunt tool.

]]> By: Pete http://www.standards-schmandards.com/2005/government-web-standards-usage-usa/#comment-251 Pete Thu, 13 Oct 2005 10:16:32 +0000 http://localhost:8888/?p=40#comment-251 <p><strong>John:</strong> Interesting findings. It looks like you did all those web sites manually. If you have suggestions for tests you feel are lacking from my automated version I would be interested in hearing your suggstions.</p> <p>I am about to profile more countries (next up is your neighbour New Zealand). If you have a comprehensive list of URLs for Australian government web sites I will "do" Australia too.</p> John: Interesting findings. It looks like you did all those web sites manually. If you have suggestions for tests you feel are lacking from my automated version I would be interested in hearing your suggstions.

I am about to profile more countries (next up is your neighbour New Zealand). If you have a comprehensive list of URLs for Australian government web sites I will “do” Australia too.

]]> By: John Allsopp http://www.standards-schmandards.com/2005/government-web-standards-usage-usa/#comment-250 John Allsopp Thu, 13 Oct 2005 05:18:45 +0000 http://localhost:8888/?p=40#comment-250 <p>I recently did a big survey of Australian sites (not just government) for their adherence to best practices in development and accessibility. It was presented at <a href="http://we05.com">WE05</a>.</p> <p>Similarly disappointing.</p> <p>The slides are here</p> <p><a href="http://we05.com/resources/john-allsopp.pdf">http://we05.com/resources/john-allsopp.pdf</a></p> <p>the podcast of the presentation is here <a href="http://we05.com/podcast/mp3/we05-12-john-allsopp.mp3">http://we05.com/podcast/mp3/we05-12-john-allsopp.mp3</a></p> <p>A full article and the data will be available soon</p> <p>john</p> I recently did a big survey of Australian sites (not just government) for their adherence to best practices in development and accessibility. It was presented at WE05.

Similarly disappointing.

The slides are here

http://we05.com/resources/john-allsopp.pdf

the podcast of the presentation is here http://we05.com/podcast/mp3/we05-12-john-allsopp.mp3

A full article and the data will be available soon

john

]]> By: Pete http://www.standards-schmandards.com/2005/government-web-standards-usage-usa/#comment-249 Pete Wed, 12 Oct 2005 23:13:51 +0000 http://localhost:8888/?p=40#comment-249 <p><strong>Mathew:</strong> Thank you for the information. Louisiana has been dropped. 13 valid sites.</p> Mathew: Thank you for the information. Louisiana has been dropped. 13 valid sites.

]]> By: Steve Moore http://www.standards-schmandards.com/2005/government-web-standards-usage-usa/#comment-248 Steve Moore Wed, 12 Oct 2005 23:12:57 +0000 http://localhost:8888/?p=40#comment-248 <p>I would also find it interesting to see how local governments would fare in this test. As a local government webmaster, whose site does validate and uses CSS for layout, <a href="http://www.larimer.org/">Larimer County Colorado</a>, I think the percentage might be higher. Most of my local government peers are solely responsible for their site, because of the smaller size, and frequently hand code the content rather than using non-standards generating CMSes.</p> I would also find it interesting to see how local governments would fare in this test. As a local government webmaster, whose site does validate and uses CSS for layout, Larimer County Colorado, I think the percentage might be higher. Most of my local government peers are solely responsible for their site, because of the smaller size, and frequently hand code the content rather than using non-standards generating CMSes.

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