Definitions for "Device independence"
For Web content to be device independent, it should be possible for a user to obtain a functional presentation associated with its Web page identifier via any access mechanism.
The display of content, and any actions needed to interact with the content, should be device-independent. For example, the scripting events onclick and onkeypress are device-dependent: they can only be used by a mouse or keyboard respectively. However, the scripting events onfocus and onchange are device-independent, as it does not matter how the element is focused on or changed.
There are significant efforts to integrate Web technologies into various devices (e.g., mobile, TV sets) other than the traditional Web access equipment such as PCs. However, we are faced with the possibility that services for those devices may not interoperate with each other or with the existing Web. That would not only cause fragmentation of the Web space, but also make Web device independent authoring impossible. W3C has particular interests in device independent Web access and single authoring. The World Wide Web Consortium and its Members are well-positioned to lead developments to avoid incompatible solutions. The Consortium is working towards making the information of the World Wide Web accessible to various devices and achieving Web device independent authoring. The Device Independence Activity is newly created and merges the "Mobile Access Activity" and "TV and the Web Activity" to facilitate interchange in the interest of device independent Web access and authoring. This new Activity is not added to the Mobile nor the TV & the Web Activity, but rather, replaces them.
users may be able to interact with the resource using the supported device of their choice and according to their needs. It is not necessary for every resource to support every device.