The question on scalable font and accessibility is not really related to the age of the browser, but the usage rate in the wild. Currently for IE6 it’s around 35-40%. This for me it just way to high a percentage to discount. There is also the other factor people with disabilities downloading and installing new software. Many find this a daunting task. They are changing the configuration of their system, their lifeline in many cases. This as you can appreciate is full of danger. And hence they tend to err on the conservative side, as you would expect.

So until the computer they are using dies they will usually continue to use the installed browser. Which sadly is usually IE6 (even up to a few years ago). Hence I don’t expect IE6 to slip below the magic 2% mark in the next few years.

Jeff, I am over forty, I have vision problems, sometimes I have an issue with contrast, but more often with font sizes. I have an extreme problem for instance reading your blog. So should I be discounted because I have vision problems. Should parts of the web be inaccessible to me because of my age.

All I’m asking is that you consider your fellow man. Maybe go observe how people with even minor disabilities have to struggle with parts of the web. I can tell you personally it’s a very humbling experience.

1. I get mixed reviews about the fast-talking delivery. As many people seem to love it as hate it. Not sure what to do it about. Can really only be me, I guess.
2. As I said in the presentation, I don’t at all think hanging bullets are “correct”. What I say in the presentation is that they’re “traditional.” Traditional may or may not be what you’re going for in a particular design. Suggesting that we should always use indented bullets and quotes is as ludicrous as suggesting we never should. “New rules” should not apply here — and neither should old ones. Rather, these decisions should be made on a case-by-case basis. That’s what design is all about.
3. I was a bit shocked by the response to the absolute vs. relative thing. I’ve given this talk a few times in the states and in the UK, and haven’t ever had anyone take it as dismissive of accessibility. As I said in the talk, this, too, should be case-by-case. Everything is a tradeoff. Absolute sizing is easier — no one can deny that. You can get things done faster using absolute sizes. Relative sizes are *arguably* more accessible, though I would contend that they are less and less so, as the browser which can’t resize relative text slowly fades away. So, which is more important? Deadlines or accessibility? Well, that all depends on the project. As to: “We will see what Jeff has to say about absolute sized fonts when he is over 40 and his sight is starting to fade.” When I’m 40 (that’s 7.5 years, for those counting), IE6 will be long gone and all browsers will be able to resize absolutely sized text. In fact, all current browsers already can.