https://xkcd.com/2827

Alt text:

Sequoia Brussels sprouts are delicious but it’s pretty hard to finish one.

  • @[email protected]
    link
    fedilink
    English
    71 year ago

    Regardless of the other comment, you’re right, the alt text is wrong. Alt text is used by visually impaired users to understand what the image is about and is not the place to put the title of the XKCD.

    • @agnomeunknown
      link
      English
      181 year ago

      It’s not the title, but rather a sort of “bonus joke” that pops up when you hover a cursor over the image (or long press on mobile I think). It’s a staple of xkcd and other webcomics, but I’ll grant that it does present some confusion for those who rely on alt text.

      I for one appreciated that being in the post so I didn’t need to click thru for the bonus joke as I usually would. Perhaps it’s just better to call it something other than alt text.

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        English
        51 year ago

        Sequoia Brussels sprouts are delicious but it’s pretty hard to finish one.

        Yes, it’s a pretty obvious riff on the main joke, i.e. entertaining the idea that Brassica sequoia is a real thing, based on the fact that brussels sprouts, like cauliflower, collards, kohlrabi, cabbage and others, are all cultivars of B. oleracea.

        If you didn’t know that last bit, I can see getting confused about the alt-text.

        @[email protected] @[email protected]

        • @[email protected]
          link
          fedilink
          English
          41 year ago

          The point is that it’s not an alt text. Also I was quite tired when writing my first comment

          • @[email protected]
            link
            fedilink
            English
            31 year ago

            Alternative (Alt) Text is meant to convey the “why” of the image as it relates to the content of a document or webpage. It is read aloud to users by screen reader software, and it is indexed by search engines. [Harvard link]

            Oh, I see what you mean! So strictly speaking, alt-text should be used for the intended purpose, i.e. in order to help certain users and searches, etc.

            Fortunately or unfortunately, I suspect most webcomics makers, and no doubt others, are going to keep using it the way they are. I’m not sure there’s a real issue in this case, but maybe in others…

            • @[email protected]
              link
              fedilink
              English
              41 year ago

              From what I have seen, alt text describes the image for blind people or for the case that the image isn’t loading