BBC websites

Your not fully understanding the situation or are ignoring the facts. It takes a lot of time and money to do something like this. The BBC do have lots of money yes but every penny has already been allocated to different departments etc. The money they are spending now was probably decided upon 5 years ago. They may have a new site in the works (though I doubt it) but it would take up to 12-18 moths to complete after testing. It is one of the most popular sites in the world and though it is not perfect it is quite accessible. Valid code does not make a site accessible. I could code a valid site that would be less accessible than most unaccessible sites.

The BBC have a long way to go before they meet the standards that I expect of them but you will never hear me say "Why don't they just do it, they've got the money!" That money is already spent and try explaining the general public why they have just spent millions developing a site when the last one worked for most people. One of my design principles is to make sure everything I do is completely inclusive but often, in business, that just isn't practical.

Besides the whole idea behind validation is absurd to me, I haven't validated a site in about 12 moths. Not that my code isn't valid but to me there are more important thing than validation. Didn't anyone inspect the BBC site's accessibility features, check what it has done for people who struggle to browse the internet whether through disability or other problems? Or did you just check it didn't validate, notice they used tables and realise that they are evil. People are all too quick to shout something down, proclaim something less professional than their own work.

Pete.

Point probably covered but is it worth the extra investment for the bbc to please a few grumbling web enthusiasts?

Writing valid code from the start shoudn't cost any more money. Not bothering to put in a doctype on a web page doesnt save money.In fact it would cost the BBC more as they will need to re visit the development of the site.

But your not being realistic. The code has been written, there is no going back. To change everything (and that includes whatever monster of a CMS powers the BBC site(s)) would cost a fortune, from a business perspective I'm not sure if its worth it right now.

Pete.

I think adding a doctype to a web page is very realistic. Ok the main site is differnt, thats massive, but the 2nd link I posted? If their system is so bloated and lacking scalability that they cant add 1 line of text to a file, a line that is a very basic requirement of a useable html document, then theres something very wrong.

Consensus is BBC screwed up. Discussion going into repeats. Thread Closed.