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My customers? I use CMS where I can for them and they add their own content. Most know nothing of web design. I do not dare to use XHTML served as XML on these sites because a simple mistake like a unescaped "&" can make the page unuseable... when it is the index page the whole site is unreachable.
In this situation, your tool should only produce valid markup and abstract the XHTML layer away from the user. In fact, if you're at all serious about accessibility then your CMS tool should be following w3's ATAG guidelines, and specifically in this case point 2.2 [w3.org]:
Ensure that the tool automatically generates valid markup. "Priority 1"
In other words if your tool isn't producing valid markup it is inaccessible.
Aside from that there are only a handfull of CMS that are accessible at all.
Personally, I ve made my choice - its gonna be 4.01Strict for now. I originally designed my template using XHTML strict but never mind. Since I do not use any of its extra features, plus I would serve it as text/html (which is not correct). In regard with the charset I had to ask my webhost to change the html header's default which was set to the standard. I use UTF-8. What I am concerned about not using XHTML is that many major (including commercial) websites still use it, and still serve it as text instead of XML. But yet again, companies pay a few $$$$ and have their site redesigned using whatever technology they want. When the time comes to switch, it may be a nightmare for me to move to X-whatever-ML. I hope I can enjoy say maybe 5 more years with 4.01.
And all of these, because MS cannot be bothered and follow some standards. Why IE cannot be made to read XHTML served as xml? Its like they are doing it purposely to create confusion. Even for CSS, as I go along and enhance my website, *everything* renders the same for FF, Opera and NN - its only IE that has issues all the time. I hope some kind of miracle happens and people start to use standard-compliant browsers such as FF and Opera for that we won't have to say all the time 'how this is gonna display in IE', 'help - my design breaks in IE' and resort to 10s different hacks, just for IE. This approach has ended up turning web development into a rocket science!
Regards.
As for the CMS, it is one of the few that is accssible, developed for the Guild of Accessible Web Designers. However with the majority of people on the net using garbage like Mambo and Co., this is a subject that needs to be brought up. 90% of all CMS have no interest in accessibility. Those that do are for the most part to expensive for most people.
So as long as peple use other CMS that do not really produce standard accessible code, this is a valid point. Using XHTML served correctly can be problematic unless care and time are taken to keep tabs on it.
