Web Access Centre Blog

Firefox 3 has now been officially launched!

This is an exciting time in the browser area as support for the Web Accessibility Initiative - Accessible Rich Internet Applications (WAI-ARIA) suite gathers pace in the next generation of browsers. Browsers with support, partial support and planned support for WAI-ARIA include Internet Explorer 8, Firefox 3, Opera and Web Kit based browsers including Apple’s Safari.

We’ve got a series of articles planned for the blog that explore WAI-ARIA in more detail - watch this space for the first of those coming soon!

Firefox 3 will also be attempting to set a Guinness World Record for the most software downloads in 24 hours. Visit the Spread Firefox - Download Day 2008 site for more details on how to join in! By my reckoning, the download deadline for the UK will be 19:16 this evening so there are still a few hours left. You can read about the new features and visit the FAQ section on the site to get more information about Firefox 3.

You may want to check the compatibility of any Firefox add-ons that you currently have installed before upgrading. The best place to do this is at the official Firefox Add-ons website.

Further Reading:

• WAI-ARIA Support in Internet Explorer 8
• WAI-ARIA Support in Opera
• WAI-ARIA Support in Web Kit
• WAI-ARIA posts on The Paciello Group Blog

This is the news many of us have been waiting for. The announcement that in Internet Explorer 8, Microsoft will be supporting the WAI ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) Syntax.
ARIA is essential to the future of accessible applications on the Internet as it enables developers to define custom controls correctly. This in turn means that access technologies can understand them. The fact that Microsoft are now joining others in supporting ARIA is great news!

Find out more about Microsoft support for ARIA.