CF Developer 'Disappointed' in RNIB

by Tom Lommel, Twin Cities CFUG
www.colderfusion.com

The RNIB's test case of the new accessibility features in Flash MX misses the point.

The case study -- found at http://lookloud.bluewave.com/ -- consists of an online game where the user picks out different articles of clothing to dress a cartoon model. Specifically, you try to dress your character in the most outrageous outfit possible.

I doubt Macromedia put screen reading technology into Flash because they wanted to empower more people to play online games with Flash. It's in there so that people can still access sites with Flash-driven menus, forms, data widgets, etc.

Admittedly, Flash has enabled designers to explore some wildly unorthodox interface concepts. However, the desktop metaphor still reigns and Macromedia is attempting to capture the lead in delivering those client-style interfaces for the web.

Therefore, a better test case would be something like Colin Moock's Address Book sample application (http://www.macromedia.com/desdev/mx/flash/articles/addressbook.html), rather than some highly graphical (and largely irrelevant) online game.

The article in The Register stresses how disappointed the RNIB is. However, their only solid complaint is that Flash MX just supports the latest version of a single screen reader.

That's pretty hollow criticism, given that the feature is brand new. Remember five years ago when we all ran CF on Windows?

What the article does show is the uphill battle Macromedia has in convincing everyday users that Flash is more than games and fancy animations.

But that's our battle as well, now isn't it?

Tom Lommel
Manager
Twin Cities CFUG

Tom Lommel is a Certified Advanced ColdFusion 5 Developer and senior consultant with Minnesota-based Jibben Consulting Services, Inc. (www.jibben.com) He has been involved with the Twin Cities CFUG for the past three years as a speaker, member, and manager.

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