SQL SERVER 2011

Welcome to Beginning SQL Server 2005 for Developers. As you are reading this book, I assume that you are interested in learning how to create solutions with Microsoft SQL Server 2005, but

have no prior knowledge of SQL Server 2005. You may well have had exposure to other data- bases such as MySQL, Oracle, or Microsoft Access, but SQL Server uses different interfaces and has a different way of working compared to much of the competition. The aim of this book is to bring you quickly up to a level at which you are developing competently with SQL Server 2005. This book is specifically dedicated to beginners, and to those who at this stage wish to use only SQL Server 2005. You may find this book useful for understanding the basics of other databases in the marketplace, especially when working with T-SQL. Many databases use an ANSI-standard SQL, and so moving from SQL Server to Oracle, Sybase, etc., after reading this book will be a great deal easier.

This chapter covers the following topics:

• Why SQL Server 2005?

• How do I know if my hardware meets the requirements?

• Can I just confirm that I have the right operating system?

• What can I do with SQL Server 2005?

We will also then look at installing our chosen edition—this section of the chapter covers the following:

• Installing SQL Server 2005 on a Windows XP platform

• Options not installed by default

• Where to install SQL Server physically

• Multiple installations on one computer

• How SQL Server runs on a machine

• How security is implemented

• Logon IDs for SQL Server, especially the sa (system administrator) logon

Canceled Accessibility Event

Very disappointing news today. The AccessU West conference by Knowbility scheduled for January 10-12 in San Jose, California, has been officially cancelled due to low registration numbers.

The AccessU training conference in Austin, Texas, May 17-19, 2011, will be held as usual. This event is the original from Knowbility and continues to be very successful. You can also follow Knowbility on Twitter.

Still, it's so saddening that a web accessibility event with major speakers (such as Derek Featherstone and yours truly) has such little interest. Especially in Silicon Valley. Here are some reasons I suspect. Can you think of any other?

1. Accessibility is not "cool" in Bay area where other exciting web technology is created.
2. Bad timing; beginning of year may be not ideal for people's personal schedules and business' budgets.
3. Competition - too many other great webinars, conferences, and meetups to choose from.

Accessibility Toolkit on OneForty

I've created an Accessibility toolkit for accessibility-related Twitter applications on the website OneForty, a great directory of Twitter-related apps. A "toolkit" is a collection of apps with a theme in common. There are only four apps listed in my toolkit so far, so I'd surely welcome any suggestions. Note that the app must be listed on OneForty to be included in a toolkit.

Upcoming Accessibility Events

Here are some great events relating to web accessibility that are occurring soon.

• Free 2-day Section 508 conference in Washington DC, Dec 13-14.
• Meetup with Sydney Web Accessibility & Inclusive Design, Tues, Dec 14, Sydney, Australia.
• Perth (Australia) Web Accessibility and Inclusive Design meetup, Wed, Dec 15, 7:30 AM.
• Workshop on Principles of Web Accessibility in Mumbai, India, 16 December.
• CANCELLED! AccessU West 2011, Knowbility’s West Coast web accessibility institute (previously CalWAC) January 10-12. CANCELLED!
• ATIA 2011 Orlando - Assistive Technology Industry Association conference, Orlando, Florida, January 26-29.

Any missing in the next month? If so, please add in the comments.

Fixing Alt - If Web Browsers Were Celebrities

A humorous infographic was recently published and twittered about, If Web Browsers Were Celebrities (full image). I've noticed more than several of these in the last few months, and one big issue about them continues to nag me: there's no sufficient alternative text! (Also a good case for the longdesc attribute!)

So I decided to to my typing skills to work and provide the alternative text. Hopefully there will be more of these to come on this blog. So here it is, the alt text from the If Web Browsers Were Celebrities infographic:

Browser Compatibility; If Web Browsers Were Celebrities

[Each item includes a nice, large browser icon and a cartoon-style avatar of the celebrity's face.]

Firefox - Can do no wrong, though not as spry as it once seemed. Would be: Morgan Freeman.

Chrome - The new hotness. People love it so much they're nervous it will go wrong and embarrass them later. Would be: Christopher Nolan.

IE6 - Everyone thought it died a long time ago, but still seems to crop up all over the place. Would be: Betty White. [LOL!]

IE7 - After years of giving it chance after chance, performance never gets better. Would be: Matthew McConaughey.

IE8 - Trying desperately to stay relevant, even though it's still the same thing. Would be: The Shatner. [William Shatner]

Safari - Reliable performance, seems to be everywhere. Would be: Samuel Jackson. (Just wait til he collaborates with "Chrome")

Flock - Hip, but people don't take it seriously anymore. Would be: Michael Cera.

Netscape - When it died, everyone said "Oh yea, that one!" and then forgot all about it. Would be: Walter Matthau.

Opera - Only ever used if you already have 100 tabs open in IE, Firefox isn't available, and you have no toher choice. Everyone agrees it looks nice, though. Would be: J-Lo. [Jennifer Lopez]

IceWeasel - Who? You mean that weird one? Would be Kristen Schaal (AKA Mel on Flight of the Conchords)

Requires No Browser - Is unquestionably Keanu Reeves. [Avatar of Keanu says "Wo"]

Link Roundup - November 2010

• ARIA and Progressive Enhancement (A List Apart)
• Court orders Ottawa to make websites accessible to blind
• Content strategy and accessibility – a natural partnership by @kmdk
• Accessible Audio Player with HTML5 audio & Yahoo Media Player fallback (by @terrillthompson)
• Past Present and Future of Accessible Technology (Tech Doctor Podcast)
• Checklist for Better Forms
• About the European Union (EU) Accessibility Requirements (SSB Bart Group)
• Long Live the Web: A Call for Continued Open Standards and Neutrality by Tim Berners-Lee
• I Don’t Want to Read More or Click Here - an accessibility rant by @kmdk
• Making Your Website Senior-Friendly
• Is Accessibility Being Overlooked in Favor of Sociability?
• WAI-ARIA States & Properties: Practical Examples
• Travel sites settle New York accessibility investigation (Out-Law)
• Best Free Onscreen Keyboard for both access & security purposes
• 5 top access technology podcasts (not web accessibility podcasts, LOL; see comment 4)
• Understanding Assistive Technology (YouTube video)
• Designing Accessible Technology radio show (with transcript)
• Single Switch Tutorial from the Yahoo accessibility lab
• NFB files complaint against Penn State University for accessibility problems (also NFB Files Complaint Against Penn State University)
• How to code accessible YouTube player controls (Vision Australia)
• Flash Web Accessibility Best Practices preso from Adobe MAX 2010 (video)
• WAI-ARIA: it's accessibility, but not as we know (Media Access Australia)
• Freedom Scientific releases JAWS 12 with contracted Braille support (INDATA)
• Using the HTML title attribute by @stevefaulkner
• Web Accessibility – Alt Text and Long Descriptions (embedded YouTube video)
• "Multilingual Web" a localization & web accessibility (web-based slide presentation)
• The Legal System, Accessibility, and the World Wide Web (US, Michigan)

Addendum (thanks Jennison!)

• The Ghosts of ARIA Present and Future (WebAIM)
• Quick Thoughts On Canadian Legal Ruling (Adobe, Andrew Kirkpatrick)

Response to Twitter Keyboard Shortcuts

A few nights ago, I submitted a comment to a recent article on Lifehacker, Navigate the New Twitter Like a Pro with Keyboard Shortcuts. My comment wasn't approved. I also tweeted a reply about the article to @Scobleizer and Twitter employee @rsarver. Received no response there either.

The article to which I was responding glamorizes New Twitter's keyboard shortcuts. I take offense to this so-called "feature" because the Twitter.com website itself is not accessible to users of keyboard-only input devices (which includes many types of assistive technology). And like all websites, Twitter.com should be accessible to anyone, not just to those who are able to use a mouse (device independence, see WCAG 2.0 Guideline 2.1). Does everyone see the irony here?!

So what my argument boils down to is this: if a website offers special keyboard shortcuts, it should first ensure that the it is fully keyboard accessible.

Here is my comment and Tweet below. Did I overreact?

Unapproved article comment:

This sickens me. Twitter isn't keyboard accessible, period. Users of assistive technology can't access the website. People who use a screenreader (visually impaired) or another type of keyboard-only input device (mobility impairments) are nearly completely blocked and makes Twitter.com useless. New Twitter is even worse than the old Twitter site. The so-called keyboard enhancements are an insult to those with disabilities. Fortunately, there is a web-based Twitter app that pays attention to everyone (and web standards, too). It's called AccessibleTwitter.com.

My tweet reply:

.@Scobleizer Not valuable to users of keyboard-only devices; Twitter.com isn't accessible to assistive tech. /cc @lifehacker @rsarver #a11y