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Subject:
From:
"Gregory J. Rosmaita" <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Gregory J. Rosmaita
Date:
Thu, 2 Feb 2006 15:12:04 -0500
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aloha, george!

it is possible to disable menu items (such as "View Source") using 
javascript embedded in a web document.

you will also often discover that many pages that use 128-bit security (any 
URL with an https rather than an http prefix) often disables access to 
document source, but unfortunately, the most reason authors disable the 
visitor's ability to view their documents' source code is to protect their 
copyright over the encoding (this is a matter that is under debate in many 
state courts - who owns the source code?  is it the intellectual property 
of the encoder, or does the act of paying for the encoder's services endow 
the subsidiser of the web site ownership of the source code?  is source 
code akin to content written in quote natural unquote language (such as 
copy provided a publication - in many instances, the copy becomes the 
property of the magazine, whereas in others, it is retained by the author, 
which is why it always pays to read the fine print, no matter how large a 
CCTV or how loud a screen reader you need to do so!

some authors and corporate entities defend preventing access to document 
source with the excuse that it prevents phishers (with a p h) from making 
mock sites, intended to dupe individuals out of money and personal 
information, so closely resemble the look and feel of the legitimate site, 
thereby making it easier for criminals to defraud honest customers by 
misdirecting them via an emailed link to a fraudulent site, where the 
customer is asked to quote restore unquote all of his or her commercial and 
personal information.

you have, as i'm sure you already know, identified one of the biggest 
problems with acurately and specifically diagnosing coding problems on 
inaccessible pages; when access to a page's document source is prevented, 
one is forced to make a diagnosis based on comparative behavior between 
several different screen-readers and, often, several different browsers (at 
least those listed as "requirements" or "suggestions" for "best viewing" 
and interacting with the site in question.

gregory.
---------------------------------------------------------------
CORPORATION, n.  An ingenious device for obtaining individual 
profit without individual responsibility.
             -- Ambrose Bierce, _The Devil's Dictionary_
---------------------------------------------------------------
Gregory J. Rosmaita, [log in to unmask]
       Camera Obscura: http://www.hicom.net/~oedipus/index.html
---------------------------------------------------------------


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