So where did these images start?

You see them everywhere but who started it?

[j4mes]

[images.google.co.uk...] is the best example I can give without posting a personal URL, but you know what I mean - those great little 80x15 pixel images with a little pic and some nice text.

But who started them? And when and why?

Just felt I ought to know before I start using them :) they're so cool.

-- James.

[fwordboy]

they're from the world wide web consortium (w3.org) you canplace them on your site if our css validates.

[benihana]

IF your css or (x)html passes the w3c validator, you got offered the chance to use one.

too slow...

[gethan]

[w3.org...]

Most of the validators for the code have a logo that shows that your site has passed. Whether you choose to display the logo or not, it's a really good idea to run a few pages through the validator.

[j4mes]

Do they have a name then? And also, is that font a standard, or just a pixel-edit-til-it-looks-right?

I assumed that was what the css/xhtml ones were for, but I see a lot of people with their own, or browser specific (mozilla/opera/etc.)

[j4mes]

Yes, all my pages validate properly, it's usually the first thing I check! :P

[Confused Amused]

How do they enforce who uses those buttons? =b

[gethan]

> Do they have a name then?

I'm not certain, badges, buttons - but nothing official.

> How do they enforce who uses those buttons? =b

They don't, but usually the button links through to the validator - if that then spews out error messages it doesn't look too good for the site concerned.

BTW - Welcome to WebmasterWorld.

[jusdrum]

No one regulates them. You can make your own, as people often do. They are like the web awards from the mid nineties.

Although the microbuttons are made availble by the W3C, they are not regulated.

[whoisgregg]

Do they have a name then? And also, is that font a standard, or just a pixel-edit-til-it-looks-right?

I know it's an old thread but this question went unanswered. The pixel perfect font has been duplicated many times, but as far as I know, the original is called "silkscreen" and is available from the creator's site [kottke.org]. From that site: "Silkscreen, with both Mac and Windows versions, is free for personal and corporate use."