>> This would be due to the point about indexicality I mentioned.

> This would be the point where I'd say the whole discussion on semantics
risks > disappearing up it own behind...no offense.

none taken :D

> "You want to do web design, eh? Well, get onto the semiotics and
linguistics > course for the next 10 years and then we'll talk about it..."

well, it was only 9 years in my case ;D

>> Ideally, a heading is something which describes and encapsulates that 
>> which comes thereafter. Because an logo is indexical, it alone
>> (usually) describes
>> nothing - it requires a context for that.

> I'd say it defines that what follows belongs to the entity identified by
said > logo...but I think we may end up in rather philosophical discussions
here and > lose touch with reality ;)

I think we could agree that the relationship is symbiotic?! ;)
However, the point about "reality": there is, of course, a serious and
practical point to the discussion - we want people to be able to write
clean, 'semantic' code. Also, developers who work with Java, PHP etc etc are
required to write 'object'-oriented code. However, in my experience, there
are very few people who are any good at identifying what something _is_ in
order to mark it up semantically or turn it into an object.

The reality is that asking "what is the correct way to markup a company
logo?" _is_ a philosophical question!! :D

>> Is an image tag the correct way (semantically) to mark-up that text?

> A company's identity is more than just its name. The logo, the typeface
used, > the colours, all play an integral part, imho. Hence an image seems
to me the > best compromise (until we get sophisticated mechanisms like SVG
to work
> consistently in all browsers).

I agree with your point here completely. However, in pragmatic (;)) terms,
with current technology, text is just the only solution which conveys
meaning to _all_ users (not just those using graphical browsers on a desktop
PC) - and the correct way to markup text is not as an image (i.e. as alt
text in your example).

Where the other methods are available (colour, font, other visual or audio
medium), these can be used by overwriting the default handling of a
particular element through CSS, Javascript etc (as long as this does not
interfere with the availability of the 'generic foundation'; i.e. the text)

QED: Use image replacement for logos (over h1 heading) where possible!

> Still good to have a "principled" discussion though...makes our lives as
> standardistas soo much more mysterious to the outside world ;)

Exactly :D

.... there are always 'principles' beneath quotitidan concerns: even endless
debates on font-sizes and heading structures ;)

C

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