540791 - Re: Insert Image, default - alternate text; Feature enhancement - an OPTION to set default to 'Don't use alternate text'

Status: RESOLVED DUPLICATE of bug 353205

(Thunderbird :: General, enhancement)

Description

[RpD]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 8.0; Windows NT 6.1; Trident/4.0; Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1; SV1) ; SLCC2; .NET CLR 2.0.50727; .NET CLR 3.5.30729; .NET CLR 3.0.30729; Media Center PC 6.0; Media Center PC 5.0; SLCC1; Tablet PC 2.0; Zune 4.0)
Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 6.1; en-US; rv:1.9.1.7) Gecko/20100111 Thunderbird/3.0.1

Someone said the Tbird developers are sticklers for HTML standards.

Well... inserting a photo into an email simply ISN'T a web standards issue.

I'd really, really, really like to change the Insert, Image..., Alternate text: DEFAULT to "DON'T USE ALTERNATE TEXT".  I use imagery/pictures a LOT... it's a common practice to put a photo into the body of an email rather than attach it. But now, EVERY time I insert an image I HAVE to either enter useless 'alternate text' or 'check' the "Don't use alternate text" box. Although it is easier to click "Don't use alternate text" than to enter some altnate text...  This is TEDIOUS, and ANNOYING. 

It really isn't a web-standard.  It's EMAIL, with a picture(s).  And this single issue is about to make me leave Thunderbird, as soon as I find a similarly simple email client (unlike Windows Live Mail, or many other overly-featured clients).  Please keep Thunderbird simple to use and responsive to user requests.

As far as HTML standards... "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." -RALPH WALDO EMMERSON

I don't mean to be insulting, but we're creating email with pictures, we're NOT CREATING WEBPAGES.

AT LEAST... give users the OPTION to CHANGE THE DEFAULT. Release Thunderbird with 'Alternate Text' set to default.  But LET USERS CHANGE THE DEFAULT.

I will NEVER-EVER enter 'alternate text' for photos inserted into email. NEVER.
If you truly develop for your users... let US set the default for prompt or NO prompt for 'alternate text'.

PLEASE



Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1.Open Thunderbird, click 'Write'
2.Click in 'body' of new email, on menubar click 'Insert', click 'Image...'
3.By default, "Alternate text:" is 'checked'... everytime. Everytime. Everytime. Etc.
Actual Results:  
Everytime I insert an image... I HAVE to click "Don't use alternate text".
That's far simpler than typing something into the "Alternate text" field... yet eventually gets to be TEDIOUS beyond belief.

Expected Results:  
Software should let ME set the default! ...to be "DON'T USE ALTERNATE TEXT"! Not now, not ever, disable it, remove it, don't want it, kills me. 
Hurt. Pain.
(Drama?)

Not that hard, is it?  Simple defaulting option to "Don't use alternate text" for insertion of images.
"Alternate text:" would still be there to use... if we ever make a webpage email.
Don't force HTML standards on users for a program which simply uses HTML but doesn't -publish- HTML.  Emails aren't going to be made into webpages.
Many "experts" set their email clients to default to dumb text for 'security' that others don't require... setting dumb text is totally negating all the enhanced features of Thunderbird.. the rest of us shouldn't have to suffer extra clicks because some paranoids or vulnerable users disable the software.
Again, it's not a webpage... it's email with photos. 
Email clients might choose to use HTML instead of MS.DOC formatting, or the open document standards... but email writers are not HTML programmers... and their created emails are -not- HTML documents.  Thunderbird emails are simply rendered in HTML, as a free formatting structure, but are not required or even desired to be web-based. Emails are -not- Web Documents... lighten up on the 'alternate text'!... PLEASE

Comment 2

[RpD]

To add on to this 'duplicate' for all the concerns about blind people... many, many, many users DON'T KNOW any blind people and DON'T EVER write to any blind people, and DON'T POST via email to public forums... and as has been noted, will not bother to EVER enter any USEFUL text for 'alt text'. Many will be impatient, not understand, or be Angry at having to enter anything whatsoever and will enter GARBAGE TEXT.   Forcing 'alt text' by default simply forces your preconceived notions of -unused- political correctness on others. Most people just want to send a picture to someone they know, blind or not, and not for general public consumption.  For this email program, there is NO HATE going on toward the blind... to suggest so is rigid lunatic childishness. There IS arrogance and patronization and foolish consistency going on to the general emailing public by not offering to counter a rigid insistence on personally 'signing' off that you don't want 'alt text' every time you send a graphic to a friend/family.  This tyranny is lunatic, impractical, and a slap to your users. It would be as if WE demanded you REMOVE 'alt text' ENTIRELY and forsake all blind people... exactly the same.  Either extreme is foolish. Allowing choice is called FREEDOM.

Comment 3

[Ludovic Hirlimann [:Usul]]

(In reply to comment #2)
> To add on to this 'duplicate' for all the concerns about blind people... many,
> many, many users DON'T KNOW any blind people and DON'T EVER write to any blind
> people, and DON'T POST via email to public forums... and as has been noted,
> will not bother to EVER enter any USEFUL text for 'alt text'. Many will be
> impatient, not understand, or be Angry at having to enter anything whatsoever
> and will enter GARBAGE TEXT.   Forcing 'alt text' by default simply forces 

Duplicate means that we are aware of the issue and will work on it.

Comment 4

[RpD]

> Duplicate means that we are aware of the issue and will work on it.

Thanks for the notice that... you'll work on it. ;)

I just wanted to expand my duplicate to comment the protestations about 'hating' the blind... which has no bearing on private emails.

It is very tedious to sign-off on graphics everytime to not include alt text, in private emails.  I'm using Mail Tweak for now... with a 'generic' alt text message... which makes the forced alt text 'feature' moot and somewhat useless. But TB should have onetime user choice on this matter.
Sorry if this additional posting 'bumps' this dupe... I'm not 'fluent' in bug-tracking forumantics.  No further attention needed here... I'll await the next release.

Comment 5

[Danny D]

Currently, for EVERY image I want to put a 1 pixel border around (up to 50 per day), I have to also click on "Don't use alternate text". In TB2, I could make this the default, however, on TB3, this option no longer exists.

I do not care if it is not compliant with HTML4 - everyone at my workplace uses Thunderbird or Outlook. Gone are the days when people were using email clients that struggled with showing HTML content.

Please fix this ASAP.