DMOZ and Accessibility

[glengara]

There's nothing in the guidelines apparently, but is having a site navigable without JS a wise precaution?

[kctipton]

I'm not sure what point you're trying to make. Could you explain?

[skibum]

Looks more like a simple question. When submitting to ODP or any directory, best bet is to make sure your site works and there are no scripts on it that would cause a browser to crash or the site to malfunction.

Let the editor focus on the content & keep the tech out of the way.

[glengara]

Could have sworn DMOZ like Y! used to have a guideline on cross-browser accessibility, which basically meant not relying solely on JS for navigation, but there's nothing mentioned about it now....

[victor]

No guidelines as such, but editors work on a range of equipment varying from positively 20th century to hypermodern.

If your site doesn't work in the browser / set up of choice of the first editor who looks at it, they'll leave it in the pile for the next one.

I very rarely run Javascript (if you want to run your programs on my computer, give me a detailed business case first, and I'll consider it. I'm likely to respond favorably if you reciprocate and let me run my CGIs on your server)

So, as an ODP editor, one or two sites (those that depend on Javascript) may have been unreviewable by me.

[glengara]

I'm with you on the script-free surfing Victor, but don't you miss all those "adds by Google"? ;-)

[rfgdxm1]

>If your site doesn't work in the browser / set up of choice of the first editor who looks at it, they'll leave it in the pile for the next one.

It's also possible the editor will just think the site is broken, and delete it. An editor that knows that the reason for the problem is their system doesn't run JS should leave it for some other editor to look at. It wouldn't surprise me that there are some newbie editors who aren't that computer savvy who would recognize that the problem is their system is incompatible with the site. Always keep in mind Finagle's Law.

[victor]

Though that is possible, here's a more likely scenario.

An editor adds a rider to the description noting that the site needs specfic technology to operate.

This is quite common -- do a search at DMOZ for "requires" and you'll see many examples.

Someone not too Internet savvy (though with a locked and loaded credit card and hungry to purchase) is surfing DMOZ or Google Directory or any of the gadzillion clones. They have this conversation

Honey, this one says it needs Internet Explorer (*). Do we have that?

No, we got Windows, haven't we?

Think so, I'll click the next one instead.

(*) Or Flash or Java or Javascript or or or etc.