Topics

Introduction

Accomplished How?     In Addition

  Accomplished How?

1. No `Approved' Requirement.  Some websites require that you be approved to gain access to the site, or at least to one or more parts of it. This is usually for security and/or anti-spam, and/or anti-fraud purposes.

   The entire AIEL website is
   automatically available to all visitors.
   
   

2. No Specific Browser Requirement.  Websites that require a particular browser are optimised for that one. Other browsers may not render its pages properly, if at all.
   

   The AIEL website does not demand that
   visitors employ a certain browser.
   
   

3. No "Browser Not Supported" Messages.  Since this site is designed to be compatible with the widest varity of browsers, and does not incorporate features that require their newest versions, "Your Browser No Longer Supported" messages will not be triggered by the AIEL website.

4. No Graphics Capability Required.  Pages that display some, or all, content only via images, mean that content is not visible to site-impaired persons or those using a text browser. If that content is not also rendered as text by one or another method, those persons cannot know what is being presented.
   

   The AIEL website has accompanying text for
   its images and other graphics, or offers a
   text-based version. One may turn off
   images in a graphics browser and
   still access all content on the site.

   The AIEL website does not require
   one to have a graphics-based browser.
   
   

5. No Webpage Maker.  Page makers are typically designed with only a few browsers in mind. They often cause rendering problems for others, especially text browsers. Designers that employ a page maker also often skimp on using features that allow software for the handicapped to render a page to suit such persons -- if the page maker software even includes such features.
   

   To ensure that users of alternate browsers and/or
   software for the disabled can view our content,
   the AIEL website is hand-coded using simple html.
   
   

6. No Advertisements.  Ads usually intrude upon, or interfere with, the content of a page; they take time to load, and are generally a nuisance. Ads that are not relevant to the site are especially annoying.
   

   No advertisements appear on the AIEL website.
   
   

7. Fewer Images on a Page.  Our photo galleries and catalogue pages aside, excessive numbers of images are kept low so as to provide very fast page loading -- especially on narrowband connections.
   
   

8. Small File Sizes for Images.  Related to the above, by keeping the file of each image to a reasonable size, loading speed is enhanced. File sizes are typically in the 20 to 40 kB range. For photo pages such as the Shop Photo Tour and the Photo Galleries, few exceed 75 kB.
   
   

9. No Useless or Ambiguous Titles.  Titles text is that seen in your browser's "Title" bar; it's supposed to describe what the page is about. Some designers place a lot of keywords there so as to improve search engine rankings, but doing so can make the title bar less useful to the people they are trying to attract to the page.
   

   Each title bar on the AIEL website reflects that page's content.
   
   

10. No Sounds.  Since this is not a speech, music, or sound effects site, audio files (even background ones) are unnecessary. These are especially annoying when they start automatically, or provide bothersome `shh-ting', `whoop', `click' or `poomp' sounds that interfere with your personal music to which you might be listening while perusing a page.
    

    There are no audio files on the AIEL website.
    
    

11. No Videos.  As above, no videos are used. They consume many resources, and when set to run automatically, they cannot always be easily turned off or bypassed.
    
    

12. No Frames.  Designs using frames do so to have different parts of a given screen be independent of one another. Unfortunately, they reduce the size of what is being read so as to allow for content in other frames to appear at the same time. This particularly hampers visitors using small-screen devices which lead to the problem of a frame not being wide enough. Thus, dreaded side scrolling is necessary. Furthermore, a poor layout of multiple frames can add to screen clutter, and may be confusing for those that use screen readers.
    

    It is just not necessary for our site to have screen sections be independent.
    No frames are used on the AIEL website.
    
    

13. No .pdf Files.  Using .pdf (Public Document Format) files is the lazy-person's method of web design. Such files should be rendered in html, even if it just means publishing a preformatted, text version on the website.

       Not all persons have an Internet setup that will read/convert .pdf files on the fly. As such, the file must be opened with a separate .pdf reader. Should that .pdf file be in a newer format (because the .pdf file format is a moving target), one must take the time to update the reader -- if a reader is even available without being forced to upgrade one's system. An alternative is to employ an Internet .pdf reading service, but this again places more tedium upon the site visitor.
    

    The AIEL website uses no .pdf files.
    
    

14. Keyboard Accessible and Usable.  For those persons that cannot use a pointer device (or prefer not to), all navigation can be controlled, and all content is able to be accessed, via the keyboard.
    
    

15. No Tracking.  We never track any of your browsing, nor do we gather any personal information.
    
    

16. No HTTPS Requirement.  (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol, Secure) You are on an information website. No visitor statistics are ever requested nor is visitor input required. As such, HTTPS is not used here. This allows access to those using older browsers because they will not be blocked as they would be if the site used HTTPS.
    
    

17. No Cookies.  Related to the above two points, because we do not require information or tracking statistics, we do not use Cookies.
    
    

18. No E-Mail Shenanigans.  This refers to the hoop-jumping `test' that some websites make one go through. It consists of an image of numbers and/or letters that varies with each visit. One must view this image, then type its contents into a form so as to have the privilege of sending an e-mail to the sitemaster or other person. What a nuisance!

       Well, this test is not viable for those using text browsers, or those with images turned off, and certainly not viable for sight-impaired persons regardless of browser type. Now, the latter are often bestowed by the website designer as an audio version of the image that voices the numbers and/or letters. Well this too, does not work for the hearing-impaired, or with text browsers, or if the user has audio turned off so as to listen to music while on the Internet. To assist with this, many designers provide a visible link to the audio file, but this means the user has to turn off his music, turn on and adjust the browser's audio, click on the audio file, listen to it, remember the sequence of characters, type them in, then turn off the browser audio, and finally, restore the music.

    AIEL does not treat its visitors
    in such a discourteous manner!
    
    

19. No Defined Window Size.  Some sites specify the width dimension of the page by setting an absolute value for it. If this size is smaller than the one you have chosen, everything will be compressed into a narrow column down the center of your screen; if it is larger, you must scroll sideways to view all the content. With the latter, it is possible to miss things if you do not happen to notice that side scrolling is required.

       With some exceptions, this site's pages float so that they automatically expand to fill, or contract to fit, the popular window widths of 640, 800, and 1024 pixels. This is a good range because it covers mobile devices up to fairly large desktop monitors. A mobile-only version could be done, but it is desired to have the AIEL webpage be able to work as consistently as possible across all devices and platforms. (See next.)

       For those with `Control' and `+' /  `-' keys, some of this problem can be alleviated by enlarging or shrinking the screen through using Ctrl+ (Control Plus), or Ctrl- (Control Minus). Press `Ctrl0' (Control Zero) to restore to the default screen size.
    
    

20. No Specific Mobile Version.  A website that has separate versions for mobile and desktop/laptop usage often means one looks and operates too differently from the other. In some cases, links, features, or images are not always found in both versions, and if they are, these may appear in different locations. Such inconsistencies across a range of devices are a pain for those that view the same website on one device screen, then later on another.

       The AIEL web pages use identical html coding for usage on all devices, so page operations remain consistent for the viewer. Unless a mobile-device visitor has set a screen width under 640 pixels, or has enlarged his text excessively, no adaptation should be required.

       If neither of the above has been done, yet our (or other website) pages present unusual text layouts, such as broken sentences where only one or two words appear on a single line, it may be that a narrow screen is being held in the portrait (vertical) orientation. If so, rotate the device to the landscape (horizontal) position; such paragraphs should now return to their intended looks. (`Auto-Rotate' must be available, and also selected in Settings, to use this feature.) If the screen does not change after device rotation and while viewing it in the horizontal orientation, reload (not refresh) the page.

       Considering the number of mobile devices and the variety of screen settings available, it is impossible to have all websites appear as intended on all devices. However, it is deemed more desirable for a website to work in the same way across as many platforms as possible, so AIEL does not provide a specific mobile version.
    
    

21. No Java.  Programming languages are not used on this website except basic HTML. Static HTML pages load much faster and don't spring surprises on viewers.
    
    

22. No JavaScript.  Related to the above, this site is coded in basic simplicity so as to be compatible with a wider variety of browsers and computer platforms. Dynamic webpages can be spectacular, but this type of design is unnecessary to display the content we provide. As with many of the points discussed here, no JavaScript means faster loading times.
    
    

23. No Active X.  This seems to be exclusive to the Internet Explorer browser. Any site that requires visitors to use a specific browser, specific plug-in, or specific operating system is a huge no-no in the world of accessible design. Active X gets an immediate thumbs down.
    
    

24. No Circular References.  Have you ever clicked on a link that goes no where, or at least, seems to go no where? This typically happens when web developers place navigation bars on every page, but don't delete (or at least grey out) any links that refer to the page on which you are currently located. Such links serve zero purpose because they just waste the time of visitors that click them.

       A particular annoyance is encountering Home Pages with a "Home" button. If one enters a website at some subpage, then yes, a "Home" or "Main Page" link is appropriate, but not on the Home Page itself. All this does is cause confusion: "Am I on the Home Page, or not?"
    
    

25. No CSS. (Cascading Style Sheets)  This is a form of HTML programming that, among other advantages, lessens the work of the page designer by consolidating common, site-wide instructions into one file, or series of files. It's not used here because it's not compatible with all software for the handicapped, nor with older browsers. As well, large or multiple CSS files can delay initial page rendering, thus leaving visitors with slow connections drumming their fingers while they wait to see content.

       Yes, CSS can solve some of the problems discussed on this page; however, so as to remain compatible with the widest variety of browsers, operating systems, and disability software, CSS is not used on this website.
    
    

26. No Site-Wide, Forced Font Type.  Many designers specify the font type in which they want text on their pages to be displayed. Even assuming that the browser being used has that font type available, some visitors want consistency from website to website, so they override these font directives by specifying a typeface they can live with. Yet, some websites can still get around this by using trickery. Because we don't specify font types, our text will always be displayed with the default you have selected, not the designer's.

       Since this is being discussed, if you don't like the text font you see here, simply reset your browser to use one you like. From then onward, this site and others not forcing fonts, will always display with your chosen type face. To take care of most other sites that do specify fonts, set your desired browser font to be the default.
    
    

27. No Site-Wide, Forced Font Size.  This is related to the above. Have you noticed when moving from one website to another that some have their basic text(*) too large, while others have it too small? As discussed in the last point, reset your browser's default font size to one that reads well for you. We don't demand that your browser use a specific font size for basic text; it will always display with your chosen default.
    

    (*) Basic Text is that which you see in non-header paragraphs. Titles and subtitles on this website will still display larger, and additionally, some footnote-style text may be smaller.
    
    

28. No Pop-Ups.  No one likes these! You'll never see any pop-ups here -- EVER!
    
    

29. No `Nag' Screens.  Related to the above, there are no messages asking visitors to do something such as to sign up for some newsletter or similar. These are especially annoying on websites when there is no way to turn them off after seeing them the first time.
    
    

30. No `/BR' Tags  Recent html procedures call for a forward slash to be included in the `BR' tag. These will cause screen jumble on older browsers.
    
    

31. No HTML 5.  HTML 5 allows for much more control over how webpages are rendered and operate. Our pages are coded to HTML 4.01 Transitional so as to be compatible with more browsers. Furthermore, HTML tags have been kept simple so that browsers brought out before 4.01 was instituted can still access all our content.
    
    

32. No Drop-Downs.  These refer to menus that open up from the top downward, but apply to any menus that open when the pointer is hovered over a navigation link, or when such a link is clicked. These can be convenient, although ones that open without clicking can be annoying because as one moves the pointer across these links, menus appear and disappear in a flurry. The latter is a problem for sight-impaired persons that use a screen reader which vocalises a page's content.

       Yes, if drop-down menus don't open automatically, and their selections are few, and they are written to be unambiguous when compared with the other available drop-down menu selections, then it's not as bad; however, too many websites are not designed that way. As such, these types of menu links can be overwhelming to some.

       Regardless, drop-down menus are not used on this site because the style chosen is to have a series of header pages, one for each major sub-section. Each of these displays a Table of Contents for what is available from that page. This keeps each section organised and better isolated so as to eliminate the chance of confusion.

       A Table-of-Contents page has the advantage that for each linked-to section there is space to provide a short, descriptive paragraph, and also to be accompanied by a list of bulleted subtopics. Thus, one need not waste time going into each link to see what it's about. This is because the description and list of topics already tells you what to expect before clicking.
    

    Here are direct links to Table of Contents pages for AIEL Instructionals
    and our Tips sections. These illustrate the concept just discussed.
    
    

    • AIEL Instructionals
    • Shop Tips
    • Tech Tips

       Yet having said all the above, as a service to those that prefer to see at a glance what links lie below any header page without going there, the AIEL Links Index is provided. Categories are alphabetised, and each is clickable right from that page, as are the sub-links.
    
    

33. No Automated (or manual) New Windows.  This is another irritant to many, especially when that window takes control and won't let you get out easily. None here!
    
    

34. No Plug-Ins Required.  Sites that make you take time away to down load, install, and debug anything are annoying. You won't be put through that here. Excessive plug-in requirements also slow loading times.
    
    

35. No Flash Animation.  Besides requiring a plug-in for some users, Flash can also take control of your browser; in some cases it forces you to watch the entire video before you can move on. Some websites use them for openers, as attention-getters, or to provide fancy movement, but once you've seen them a few times, they become irritating -- especially if there is no `Stop' or `Skip' button. Plus, Flash content is often bulky in size, so it takes long to load, and can quickly consume resources on less-capable systems.

       A major problem occurs for users that land on a website entry page which only uses Flash and has not provided an alternate entry link. Visitors without Flash capability cannot enter that website. Such pages also tend to rank lower in search engines because there is no text upon which to base a search -- meaning a site that is harder to find for the user.
    
    

36. No Animations of Any Other Type.  No animations are required at this site, so they are not used. The worst are pages that consist of only animated slideshows which constantly change at the least amount of scrolling -- or even with no scrolling! Some go by so quickly that one can't even read or take in what is on the screen before it changes again. You will not see any of that distracting aggravation here.
    
    

37. No Abbreviations.  Visitors from outside of Canada, and even some from within, will not understand the short forms of all names, especially place and building names. In addition, few know the meaning of every short form used in the Entertainment Business, again especially true for those visiting our website from outside Canada. This is because they would not normally come across terms particular to the Canadian industry. Therefore, abbreviations on this site are spelled out, or if not, are described at the initial usage on a page, and also re-enforced from time to time in any articles where the short form is used on multiple ocasions.

       As a service, an "Abbreviations" section is provided in the AIEL Glossary. Common Entertainment Industry short forms, as used in Atlantic Canada and elsewhere, are shown and then spelled out.
    
    

38. No Orphan Pages.  Have you ever landed on a page that has no link back to that site's Home Page? What about one with no clickable links at all? Although few recent pages seem to exhibit such poor behaviour, there are plenty of antique webpages out there that do.

       Other than our Opener and Main Page, at the bottom of all pages is a link back to the AIEL Main Page. Also typically located along with it are two or three links to related parts of the AIEL website. This is to assist one to directly navigate to similar pages of interest.
    
    

39. No "Click Here" Links.  How many times have you seen a line or paragraph of text leading to hypertext with the words "click here" being the link? This is a major issue for those wanting to bookmark a series of links on a website. When one goes back to the Bookmark File, each link name is the same! Because of this, when reviewing bookmarked links some time afterward, one has to waste time going into each link to see what it's about. GRRRR!

       Some visitors will rename "Click Here" links when bookmarking, but they should not be obliged to do so. Even when one is not bookmarking while reading, after finishing a page and then wanting to go back to a specific link, one must re-read paragraphs, or at least individual lines, to figure out which "Click Here" link to select. This is forced upon the site visitor due to the fact that one cannot use the browser's "Search" feature to locate the desired link's key word(s) -- because there is none! Thus, one must re-read one or more portions of the page. What a nuisance!

       Pity too, sight-impaired, or otherwise handicapped users that have no choice other than to sort out where such links actually lead, and what might be found there.
    
    

40. No Short Search Fields.  Have you entered words and/or phrases into a Search field (or any on-line form) only to find that some of them disappear off one end or the other? Why do designers not allow enough room? Since it is nice to be able to peruse all that you have entered at a glance, our Search Fields allow 60 characters to be visible at a time.

       Have you ever encountered an absolute character limit when entering your words or phrases? We permit up to 150 characters in total; this is enough for any search you might contemplate on a stage lighting website such as ours.
    Have a look: AIEL Search Field

  In Addition:

    No Unicode.  This pertains mostly to e-mail. Unicode allows certain characters to be easily displayed such as the U.K. Pound symbol and vowel accents. Unfortunately, Unicode developers took standard ASCII characters such as those for the Tab and Apostrophe and changed their codes. Consequently, if the recipient has not made Unicode the default, or has no compatible program, odd characters replace the tabs and apostrophes. This makes the text hard to read or to be translated for the handicapped, and in some cases, it's almost impossible.

The AIEL website and e-mail use the
English Language standard of ISO-8859-1.

    Spelling and Grammar.  With all the software writing accessories available today, why don't all webpage designers use them? Sure, we all make mistakes and some of them slip onto webpages -- even with good software tools.

    However, publishing a website containing poor grammar, spelling, and punctuation, and not bothering to at least have that software look for errors, implies either arrogance, ignorance, or laziness regarding the designer's abilities, or more likely, poor schooling. This in turn implies that the page owner may not have the educational capability to ensure that the site's content is accurate, or that he or she is even up to the standards required to compose that content. This reflects in a manner regarding trust in a company, its personnel, and/or its products and services.

    Alternate Text.  Proper and descriptive "Alt" tags accompany images at this website. These are made distinct from the narrative text by enclosing the Alt Tag text in parentheses. Furthermore, unless the image is a blank space-maker, each Alt Tag opens with the word "Image:" so as to identify exactly what is going on. For our photo pages, accompanying text fleshes out the `Alt' descriptions so that sight-impaired persons can "hear" through their speech-rendering software what others see.

    Varying Looks.  As mentioned earlier, each division of the AIEL website has its own look and begins with a descriptive Table of Contents from which all its subpages are accessed.

    Most webpage design tutorials advocate that a site's look be maintained throughout; however, when a site becomes very large, this sameness works against it. This is because visitors can become confused as to where they are. While maintaining an overall look for the whole AIEL site, having a different appearance for each section keeps visitors focused on the grouped topics being presented.

    Having said that, there will be some apparent contradictions to this on our site. Although each section's subpages will have a consistent look and layout, a link may be encountered within one of those documents that will present a different page style after being chosen. This reason for this is that the link takes one to a subpage of a different division, and so that page's look matches the other pages of the category under which it falls.

    E-Mail Address.  Links to our e-mail address are readily available throughout the website without having to navigate various menus, without having to scan large pages trying to find out how to contact us, and without having to deal with cryptic text that some designers employ to fool automated e-mail address harvesters. Nor, as already discussed, do we make visitors take a test for the privilege of e-mailing us.

    Universal E-Mail Access.  Our pages also support the "instant access" e-mail feature that some browsers have: Pressing `c' (Contact) or other designated letter immediately brings up your chosen e-mail software, and in most cases with our e-mail address already filled in. This means never having to hunt for an e-mail link, or even having to actually know our e-mail address. Oddly, very few webpage designers seem to include the single line of META-tag code necessary to provide this feature. All AIEL webpages do.

    Digital Divide Friendly.  To expand upon this page's opening discussion, the Digital Divide sees many disabled and low-income earners blocked from websites because they are using older browsers and software, and on older computer equipment that cannot be upgraded without knowledge and/or expense. Fast loading for these users is a must. Their browsers should not get bogged down rendering an excessive number of large images, or dealing with plug-in requirements, or by having to execute elaborate instructions.

    Then there is the great cost of broadband Internet. Persons that cannot access, or cannot afford, a high-speed connection are still able to fully use this website on a narrow-band connection. AIEL understands the Digital Divide and reacts accordingly!

    List of Updates.  For regular visitors, an Updates listing is provided to allow them to know which pages have new content, or to which improvements have been made. This is a convenient time saver, especially since direct links are right there for each relevant page.

    Text Versions of Complex Pages.  For instructionals and tips at our website, we have provided at the end of each article a link to a file with a text-only version of the html page. These files make for ease of downloading for those that want to keep a shop manual on a computer, or to print out for storage in a binder.

    Then there is the fact that text-only versions load in an instant -- even on the slowest of connections. They also provide the most basic method for those with the oldest equipment and software, and for the handicapped to read (or hear) the content of those instructionals.

You may now begin navigating our site using the Links Index, or
immediately search via this direct link to the AIEL Search Box

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