Bruce Lawson’s personal site : Reading List

Reading List

Friday 20 April 2012

HTML and CSS

HTML5 gets a new <dialog> element which behaves as top-layer in the fullscreen spec. If the dialog is modal, it makes the rest of the document inert:

A subtree of a Document can be marked as inert. When a node or one of its ancestors is inert, then the user agent must act as if the element was absent for the purposes of targetting user interaction events … Note: When a node or one of its ancestors is inert, it also can’t be focused.

An entire Document can be marked as blocked by a modal dialog dialog. While a Document is so marked, every node that is in the Document, with the exception of the dialog element, its ancestors, and its descendants, must be marked inert.

The great thing about a built-in <dialog> element, even with its egregious mis-spelling, is that it will make a lot of websites more accessible. For example, many sites use pseudo-dialogs that they either write themselves or get from JavaScript libraries. Many of these don’t allow modal dialogs and lightboxes to be closed using just the keyboard, for example (see Lightboxes and keyboard accessibility for more). Building accessible dialogs into the language is far better than expecting every developer to bolt it on.

There’s already the beginnings of a shim for it.
Let’s Talk about Semantics on HTML5 Doctor
Flexbox and CSS Grids have too many alignment properties, suggests Fantasai, and attempts to harmonise them.
Content order on touch screens by Henny Swan
HTML5 Accessibility Chops: ‘real world’ ARIA landmark use – “From an initial analysis the correct use of ARIA landmark roles is surprisingly high. Developers are generally using ARIA landmark roles as intended. Although use is low, there is an major upward trend in use as sites switch to HTML5.”

Open Formats, Open Standards

Proprietary lobby triumphs in first open standards showdown – the UK government is consulting on how it can use “open standards for software and systems are required to ensure interoperability between software systems, applications and data”. Simon Wardley of Leading Edge Forum has more on how the lobbyists of the Big Proprietary Vendors are changing the definitions of “Open” to favour them.

Mobile development

77 words by me on mobile content philosophy
Why We Shouldn’t Make Separate Mobile Websites – me in Smashing Magazine on why Jakob Nielsen is wrong about mobile usability. (The title isn’t mine. It’s really about why you shouldn’t always assume it’s best to make a separate site.
Steve Ballmer laughs at iPhone (YouTube video)

Webdev tools and services

Misc

Mood Changes in UK Twitter Content 2009-2012 – “we analyse a collection of 484 million tweets generated by more than 9.8 million users from the United Kingdom over the past 31 months, a period marked by economic downturn and some social tensions.” With handy animation!
Safety Tat – stick-on QR codes for children in case they get lost.
The Key Ingredients to a Successful Glamour Shot (63 pics) (hat-tip @ourmaninjapan)
Sarah Jessica Parker Looks Like A Horse

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