Re: [csswg-drafts] CSS Snapshot 2018 (#4704)

This is indeed somewhat tricky, but let's start with your example: `display` exited in CSS2.1, so it is certainly a stable property. Flexbox adds a value to it, and flexbox is stable, so the new value `flex` is also part of what can be considered stable CSS. The CSS Display module level 3 includes that, so these parts are also stable, but it includes more than that, such as `display: contents` or `display: flow-root`, as well as many detail explanations of how `display` works, which are much more precise than what we had before. When we made the determination in 2018 of what to include in the list, these didn't feel as stable as the rest, so they were not included.

Personally, at this point, I think the CSS Display 3 should be included in the next snapshot, but the CSS WG hasn't had that discussion yet.

Generalizing, things that are in the snapshot are known to be in a good shape. But that doesn't mean that other specifications are bad. Very often, modules which are not yet in the snapshot will include updated version of things in the snapshot, sometimes with new features, and often with better and more precise definitions. They're meant to be better (otherwise we wouldn't write them), but they have not yet received sufficient vetting / reviewing / testing to be sure that they actually are.

If you are looking to implement something that is in the snapshot, and the same thing exists in another newer module that isn't in the snapshot, I'd highly recommend looking at the newer version as well, but at the same time you should also read them more cautiously, as they are still drafts, and may contain mistakes.

As for whether the Snapshot is a good list of what to implement, it really depends on what you're project is. It's not a bad starting point, but depending on your goals, you may want to include more, or less, or prioritize differently than just by stability.

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Received on Monday, 27 January 2020 00:05:02 UTC