[Bug 9627] New: be more specific in external references

http://www.w3.org/Bugs/Public/show_bug.cgi?id=9627

           Summary: be more specific in external references
           Product: HTML WG
           Version: unspecified
          Platform: PC
        OS/Version: Windows NT
            Status: NEW
          Severity: normal
          Priority: P2
         Component: HTML5 spec bugs
        AssignedTo: dave.null@w3.org
        ReportedBy: julian.reschke@gmx.de
         QAContact: public-html-bugzilla@w3.org
                CC: ian@hixie.ch, mike@w3.org, public-html@w3.org


This came up in recent discussion about the use of "resource", see
<http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-html/2010Apr/0367.html>: references
to external specs are *much* more useful when they tell the reader where to
look for the referenced information.

For instance:

  "What some specifications, in particular the HTTP and URI specifications,
refer to as a representation is referred to in this specification as a
resource. [HTTP] [RFC3986]"

would be more useful to readers as

  "What some specifications, in particular the HTTP and URI specifications,
refer to as a representation is referred to in this specification as a
resource. [HTTP], Section 1.3, [RFC3986], Section 1.2.2"

Counter arguments that were given:

(1) The official IETF spec URIs do not provide a way to link to a section, as
they are published as plain text,

(2) Section numbers can change.

Answers to that:

(1) That's an orthogonal issue; the section numbers are useful independently of
whether they are hyperlinked.

(2) RFCs are immutable. 

Similar changes should be made to many other parts of the spec, but for the
sake of discussion, let's focus on this case.

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Received on Friday, 30 April 2010 13:48:40 UTC