RE: ALT as required attribute

> If I load the following code in Netscape 7, IE 6, Opera 6.01, or Amaya
> 7.2, each of these browsers is forgiving of my having omitted an ALT
> attribute from my IMG element. This same code doesn't validate, but why
> should I be concerned about validation, if so many user agents seemingly
> aren't enforcing the requirement?

It isn't their job to enforce it. Their user has come across some nonsense
pseudo-HTML that you coded. Their user wants to see a page, not report an
error that they aren't in a position to fix, so they muddle through as best
the can.

As long as they are sighted users of a graphical browser. Otherwise they're
stuck.